The Gods' Opinion
by roshully
Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don’t work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.
1. Chapter 1

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxx-xxxxx-xxx**

**Chapter One It's in the Male**

A soft tap on the thick oak door was the doctor's only warning that someone was opening it without his acknowledgment. The doctor looked up from his messy desk to see a familiar female face pop her head into his disorganized, but neatly decorated office.

Quickly straightening the files and folders on his desk, he glanced back up at her, waiting to hear her reason for being at the door instead of at her desk. She could've called. The phone was . . . where was the phone? He started to look for it, lifting the stacks of files up, but since she was standing right there, finding the phone this very instant no longer mattered.

"Saori, what is it?"

"Your 11:30 is waiting," Saori, the doctor's secretary said as she brushed her medium length chocolate locks behind her ear, flashing off her pricey pink earrings, another gift from her current boyfriend. In her other hand, she held up the patient's file for the doctor to see.

He waved her in, watching as her thin, well dressed form walked towards him. Her kitten heels purred against the thick ash grey carpet of the office, but the rest of her was silent. Saori set the file down on her supervisor's still messy desk.

"You have a luncheon with the board of directors at 12:30, so you need to wrap this appointment up by 12:15. And then you have a consultation with the psychologist at two," she quickly reminded him of his day, which she had done when he had walked into the office this morning, and no doubt, she would have to remind him of his meeting with the psychologist again.

The doctor picked up the mountainous stack of files and set them off to the side, clearing his desk for the one file he needed for the appointment. Looking up at his secretary he sighed. He had been in the office for several hours already and felt as if he hadn't accomplished a thing. Wasn't that how he felt everyday? Like some kind of illusion, no matter how hard or long he worked, the pile would never, ever disappear.

"Bring them in."

Saori bowed her head and left, leaving the door open for her return with his scheduled appointment. The door then opened wider as Saori showed the patient into the doctor's office, bowing as he walked past her.

The doctor stood as his patient entered. Waving a limp hand at Saori, she closed the door giving the two of them the privacy they needed as well as the privacy dictated by law.

Both men reached out their hands, taking a firm grip for a shake, followed by a polite bow. During this time, they took the opportunity to examine the other; their appearance and clothing. Males . . .

The doctor wore the standard white lab coat over his business-like attire; pressed black slacks with a crisp white dress shirt, but no tie. The patient was dressed casually in a tight-knit white V-neck sweater and navy blue dress slacks.

"Have a seat," the doctor motioned to one of the two chairs that sat in front of his large desk. The patient nodded and found the soft black-brown micro fiber armchairs. He immediately relaxed into the cushions as the foam molded to his form.

The patient examined the doctor's office, surveying the walls filled with thick books. The part of the walls he could see were wood, stained a dark color to complement the large window behind the doctor. His eyes caught the part of the doctor's office that contained the various diplomas and certificates bestowed upon the man. The patient was impressed with the schooling and training this doctor had.

The office was littered with other little things, like a couple of plants and artwork that looked like globs of paint. The patient wasn't into that kind of art. He preferred things that he could recognize, like a scene with people, or fruit. Over all though, the office had a very natural feel to it, like he was sitting in an outdoor office.

Sitting down in his plush wheeled leather chair, the doctor opened the patient's file and clicked his fancy, black lacquered pen on, ready for the laborious note-taking that was about to commence. It was a crucial part of his job. And the lawyers demanded it as well as the psychologist. So he complied with their requests.

"So," the doctor started, leaning back into his chair, laying the file on his leg that he crossed over his left knee, so he could be more comfortable when he took notes, "tell me why you're here."

The patient nodded as he readjusted himself in the chair to tell his story. "Well," he started as he readjusted again, finding that comfortable spot he had just moved out of, "for the past year and a half, my partner and I have, uh, been trying to have a child."

The doctor cocked a very confused eyebrow up as far as his skin would let it. Partner? Who refers to their wives in that manner? Old lady, ball and chain, mate, those were terms he was used to hearing among the normal ones like dear, my lovely wife or just by starting her name. But partner? Did his patient mean something different?

"Sorry, partner?" the doctor had to ask as he chuckled softly, thinking about how he was going to say what he would have to. "It's . . . impossible for you and your _partner_ to conceive. Biologically . . . it takes a male _AND_ a female."

The patient's eyes slowly grew in size when he realized what the doctor was insinuating. He wildly waved his hands in the air, laughing nervously, but cussing inwardly at the doctor for even considering that he . . .

"Oh no no . . . that . . . that's . . . impossible. . . my partner, she . . . it's just . . . . well . . . we're not married yet." He cleared his throat several times as he stumbled through the words to get his point across; the point being that he was not gay. He'd never consider it, not even once. Men were men, but he was attracted to women and one woman in particular.

Not married? That was interesting. The doctor wrote that down in his notes, and then scribbled out the part where he had _GAY_ written. No one was perfect. But he still had his doubts. With those looks combined with the way he was dressed, it was an easy mistake to make. He had homosexual couples in here when looking for artificial insemination, or wanting to donate their manly fluids for a good cause. Who was to say that this man wasn't one of those?

"Is she your girlfriend? Fiancée?" the doctor had to ask, again. His patient would be the first non-married hetero male to sit in that chair. This would be an interesting case. Not that he would admit to describing his cases as either interesting or not, but it was definitely different. It would be a hard case to forget.

"Girlfriend is such an . . . open term. And fiancée, well . . . It's like this. Her grandfather was a priest who blessed our union ship."

"He _was_ a priest?"

"Yeah. First he blessed our union ship and he was to marry us, but, he died in an accident and my part . . . uh, Kagome is her name." He hadn't realized how nervous he was about this until he started to talk. None of the words that came out of his mouth were making much sense. He took a quick breath and started over. "Her grandfather and younger brother died in a car accident before the wedding could take place."

The doctor wrote this down. The female had suffered something very traumatic. He drew a large arrow to the words _see shrink_, which he then circled several times as the patient went on with his story. Unfortunately, all this babble was important. He'd rather just get to it, leave the nonsensical conversation for the psychologist and let him do his job.

"After that, she was depressed for a few months. I told her that we didn't need to be officially married to start a family. She only wanted to be married by her grandfather. She's been happy for the past year and yet . . . no matter how often we try . . . nothing."

The patient sighed. It was frustrating. So much so that he was here, seeking help from the best doctor at the best fertility clinic in the world. He wanted a child more than anything. Kagome wanted one just as much. Yet . . . and yet, it wasn't happening for them.

"We've tried those ovulation thermometers, several other doctors and . . . still nothing." The patient then glanced up at the doctor. "You're our last hope."

He hated it when they said that. Countless patients came to him as a last resort, hoping that he could grant them a miracle, as if he were some sort of god. But he tried. He did the best he would with every couple. It was his job. It was his life, the one he had chosen. But he wasn't a god, nor did he have godly powers. Some couples were fated to live without having biological children of their own. And yet, even when desperate for a child, so many were reluctant to adopt. There were so many children in need of families.

The doctor made a few more notes in the patient's file. Once finished, he closed the file and placed it on the desk. It was just one more file that he would have to work through. It was the reason why he had no other life outside of work.

Folding his hands on top of the file, he looked directly into the patient's eyes. "I can't make any promises, but, only time will tell."

He opened the file back up and glanced through the paperwork the patient had filled out. No matter how many forms each patient was required to fill out, he still had to ask them the same questions. He began to question the need for forms.

"I just have a series of questions I need you to ask. You need to be completely honest with me so that I can help you." He watched as the patient nodded before he started with the questions. "Is there anyone in your family, either male or female, who has had a problem with infertility?"

It took a few minutes for the patient to answer as he considered every single person in his family that he knew or knew about. He shook his head as he recalled all of them being more than successful with children. "No," he voiced his answer with some mustered up confidence.

The doctor nodded and wrote this down in his notes. "Have you had pelvic or scrotal surgery? Have you had any abdominal surgeries, like a hernia operation, that could scar or injure delicate internal structures?"

This answer was quicker, another _no_ for both of the questions. The doctor made a quick note of that as well.

"Were or are you exposed to gonadotoxins?" The confused look on the patients face prompted the doctor to explain the term _gonadtoxins_. "Uh, gonadtoxins are chemicals that literally poison the parts of your body that produce sperm, such as chemotherapy drugs, pesticides or other workplace chemicals."

"Uh, no. I work at a very secure, very clean and protected place."

"Oh, where at?"

"Bio-Guchi."

The doctor was impressed with that. It was a well-known and well respected company that he was familiar with. That was good. His patient made enough money to cover the costs of the baby-making process. He didn't like to turn away couples that couldn't afford the procedure, but he couldn't do it for free all of the time.

"Do you drink alcohol?"

"Sometimes. A glass of wine or champagne on occasion, or a cup of sake."

"Do you use any recreational drugs, such as marijuana or smoke?"

"Absolutely not." The patient scrunched up his face at the idea of taking those kinds of drugs. Many did deny it, thinking that admitting to it made them a bad person.

The doctor made notes of these before asking the next question. "Are you exposed to heat for long periods of time, such as steam or a sauna?"

The patient shook his head. "No, and if I do, it's maybe once a week for no more than an hour."

"Do you have any diseases or conditions that require medications?"

"Nope. Just an occasional aspirin or cold remedy."

"Uh, lastly, have you ever had a sexually transmitted disease?"

"Kagome and I were both tested before we became sexually active. We are both clean."

"And the last time you were screened?"

"Just a few months ago, with the first doctor. That test was also negative."

The doctor wrote a few more things down before he was finished with that part of the appointment. "Well, everything looks good so far. Next, you'll need to talk to Saori, my secretary, and she, with a nurse, will get a sample from you so we can determine if the problem lies with you."

"A . . . sam . . . sample. What kind?" He didn't know he was going to be tested so early. He figured this to be just a simple consultation appointment. But this doctor meant serious business if he was already asking for a sample.

"Sperm sample." The doctor had the ability to say that without cracking even the tiniest of smiles. He said it so often that it was just an ordinary statement for him to say. If anyone outside of his profession said that phrase, it was followed by chuckles. However, it was half of making a child, so its importance was great.

"Oh."

"This problem you and your partner are experiencing could be you. Most men like to think that it's the woman's fault. An idea based on centuries of social and cultural stereotypes of masculinity and femininity. Remember, conception involves two people. Both are equally responsible for conceiving a child as much as _not_ conceiving a child. It's through these tests that we can determine the real problem."

He had seen many arguments stem from this issue alone. It was what prompted him to discuss this when the couples were separated from each other for some of the appointments. He could talk about this with them _mano y mano_. "We check several factors with your sperm. Once we rule out you, then we can focus on the female."

"You will give a sperm sample today and one tomorrow or Monday. We will also require a blood test, which will be taken today. Talk to Saori about setting up an appointment with an urologist. We have some that work here, so no need to find one on your own." The doctor glanced back down at the file. "How many hours do you spend on your cell phone on a daily basis?"

"What?" the patient asked, questioning the absurdity of such a question. What did that have to do with having a baby? His cell phone . . .

"The Cleveland Clinic just released a study correlating low sperm count with prolonged cell phone use. It's only a correlation, but we can't rule anything out."

"Okay. Not much. Maybe an hour or two a day, tops." The patient patted his pants and felt for his small cellular device. He didn't want to embarrass himself by pulling it out and checking his actually daily usage. He was sure though that it was under four.

The doctor grinned. "Well, you should be fine then." Scanning over the notes he meticulously took, he found a few more questions he needed to ask.

"How many times a week, on average, do you masturbate?"

The doctor watched as the colored drained from the patients face only to be refilled with a deep blush. It was a typical response to the question. First, they were dumbfounded by being asked such a personal, secretive question.

"What kind of question is that?" The patient roared, taking offense to this new line of questioning. And then they were angered to suggest that a man in a relationship, such as he was in, would even think to resorting to such a dirty, disgusting act that only hormonal teenagers and sexual deviants practiced. It was all part of the routine, one that the doctor hardly took notice of anymore now that he expected it.

The doctor sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "It's one that I need you to answer, _honestly_, if I'm going to help you."

The patient calmed down. The doctor was right. Masturbation did involve the same sexual organ that was involved with making babies. He sighed as he gave the matter some thought. "On average? Weekly? I don't know. I'd say, two, three times a month, but on a weekly basis . . . "

Then, when they did admit to it, they lied about how often they did do it. Doing it several times on a weekly basis was way too much. Spreading it out over a month seemed to make it more bearable to admit to. Even if it was normal to do it several times a week, not many confessed to the true number.

The doctor just accepted the answer knowing the patient wouldn't change it. It was true that some males did not succumb to that kind of release as often as others. But there was normal and then there was above and beyond the call of duty. Masturbating constantly couldn't impair fertility, but it was possible to injure the organ involved, causing problems with fertility. But if he confessed to only a few times a month, then he would wait for the urologist. The urologist would find out the truth. They always did.

"I think that's all I need to know for now. Once I have the results from the semen analysis, blood analysis and the report from the urologist; we'll have another appointment to review it all. Then once we've taken care of that, I'll schedule an appointment with your wi . . . uh, partner."

The doctor examined the file one more time; just to be sure there wasn't anything he missed. "Any questions?"

The patient only shook his head _no_, thinking that it would be best to wait until the results came in. If everything checked out for him, then he would have to do what he could to help and support Kagome. He knew it was going to be a long, hard and emotional process, one that they were both committed to.

"Well then . . . "The doctor picked up the phone he finally found after removing the mess off of his desk and dialed Saori's extension. "Hey. Yeah, schedule him for the usual male fertility examination. Starting as soon as possible. Today is good if they have time." He hung the phone up and picked up the patients file, closing it up with the notes he took contained inside.

"The tests only take a few hours to complete, but depending on your schedule and when you have the urologist appointment, it might take a few days. Let's see, today is Thursday, so we'll try to schedule an appointment for you to go over the results next week. And then your partner will be next." It was strange to say partner and not wife. That would be a struggle to remember.

The patient nodded with a slight smile on his face. He turned in his chair to the sound of a knock echoing in the room. It opened and a nurse dressed in a simple blue and white scrub outfit walked in.

Holding out the patient's file, the nurse walked over and took it, so she could add her notes to it. Smiling at the patient, she said, "Follow me," in a voice that was genuinely cheery, not fake.

The patient stood, as did the doctor. Briefly, they shook hands before the patient hurried up after the nurse. She closed the door behind her, leaving the doctor alone with his mess of files. Glancing at the clock, it was now 12:07. Saori told him that he needed to leave at 12:15 to make it on time to the luncheon.

Eight minutes.

Not enough time to get any work done, but too much time to just sit around and wait. Glancing over at the files, he knew that this would be another weekend stuck in the office working. He worked in a fertility clinic, helping couples to make families when they couldn't under normal circumstances. This kept him from having a family of his own. The only women he knew where the ones he worked with. But they all had lives outside of the clinic.

He decided to just leave. The board of directors would be surprised if he showed up early for the luncheon. Normally, he arrived just on time, leaving no time for those few minutes before to chat about nothing. He didn't have a wife or children to talk about, so it was fine if he didn't show up for that informal part.

**xxx- One Week Later -xxx**

Saori opened the door and let the patient inside, following him up to the doctor's desk so she could give him the patient's file. She left quietly and shut the door to give the two men their privacy.

The results were in and this was the appointment to go over them. The patient had been nervous all week. He went in for two sperm sample appointments, was fondled by the urologist and had a blood test taken. Now the doctor would tell him if he was normal or not.

The doctor opened the file and scanned the results carefully. This was a sensitive matter. He glanced up at the patient, noticing the pale, clammy skin that was a result of the stress and nerves. Another normal look he'd seen in his office. Males took the fertility tests just as hard as women did, stressing over what some doctor would tell them about their masculinity, as if this was the only measure of manliness.

"First, your semen analysis. Your ejaculate volume was normal, meaning that you ejaculate enough semen to allow conception. And the concentration was within normal parameters as well. Typically, we look for a concentration of 20 million individual sperm per millimeter."

The patient was shocked to hear such a large number. But as long as the doctor said that he was within the norm, he wasn't going to ask why it was such a high number. The doctor continued with the results.

"You have 83 mobility, which is good. The little guys need to swim and this just says that in each sample, 83 of your sperm are healthy enough to swim up the birth canal. And they are in good shape." The doctor looked up at the patient and smiled. "Your semen sample checked out just fine, meaning we don't need to do any other follow-ups. Even if it had turned out abnormal, it doesn't necessarily mean that you would be unable to impregnate your wife, uh, partner."

Damn, he forgot.

"The urologist just left me a note in here saying that everything checked out. His only recommendation is that you schedule yearly check-ups for your prostate." The patient nodded, knowing that prostate cancer was a serious threat to men. He was of that age now.

"Your blood test came out fine as well. Hormone levels were tested as well as possible genetic disorders. It's possible for you to pass on certain genetic disorders that would make infertility a problem for your offspring, but in your case, there is nothing to be worried about."

The patient tossed his head back, smiling and letting out a huge sigh of relief. He was normal. He was a man. The doctor just closed the file up, letting the patient have his moment. It was an uncomfortable sight. The doctor didn't like it when the men acted so cocky. In the instances where the male was the one that was most likely at fault, they would demand retests, or leave for second opinions, only to come back only have accepting the fact that there was something wrong with them, but never fully believing it.

There were other ways to prove that one was a man.

Once finished with his little moment of victory, he lifted his head up and looked at the doctor. "So, we get Kagome in here and get her started."

"Yeah. But first, I need to tell you that I do require you to see our psychologist once every two weeks, or every week depending on the psychologist's recommendations." He watched as the patient frowned. "I'm also going to suggest nutritional supplements which contain amino acids for you. Also, I am recommending that you cancel any sauna visits until your . . uh, partner becomes pregnant, as well as no alcohol. This ensures that we are doing everything we can to make pregnancy possible."

The patient hesitantly nodded. He thought that he was free from most of the doctor's orders, but that wasn't the case now. But if this was what he needed to do to help Kagome and to get her pregnant with his child, he would do it, no questions asked. He would have to trust the doctor and his methods. He wasn't the best fertility doctor in the world for nothing.

"If there are no other questions, then I'll have Saori and you work out a schedule with our psychologist. Sometimes infertility is a mental rather than physical factor. Your . . . partner will be scheduled for private appointments and then you will be scheduled appointments that will require both of you to attend together."

"I think that is everything," the patient spoke as he started to stand out of the chair. The doctor stood in response to his patient. The patient stuck his hand out. "Thank you doctor. This means so much to us."

The doctor shook the patients hand, giving him a forced smiled. "It's my job. But, this is only the beginning."

"I know, but still, it's a start."

"Just don't start celebrating yet," the doctor half-joked.

The patient chuckled, though he didn't quite get what the doctor had said. "Again, thanks, Doctor Takahashi."

"No problem Mr. Akitoki."

The doctor watched as the patient walked out of his office, closing the oak door behind him. Plopping back down into his chair, he sighed. Something about that patient bothered him greatly. He was too . . . cheery? He didn't know. Still . . . This case was already different. Helping a non-married couple was a huge setup for lawsuits and custody battles. The board of directors would be telling him to turn this one down if he had told them about it.

But he hadn't, solely on the reason that his patient, Akitoki Hojo worked for Bio-Gutchi, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Helping Akitoki Hojo would be helping out the clinic. It wasn't that his clinic needed financial help, but he found that a possible partnership with Bio-Gutchi would be good for creating new and improved fertility drugs.

Doctor Takahashi picked up his phone and dialed Saori's extension. He only had to wait one ring before she answered. Normally she waited two or three just to annoy him. "Hi. Did Akitoki schedule an appointment with the head doctor?" He listened as she explained to him that he indeed do that. "Good, call his wife, damn, partner and schedule an appointment with her. Thanks."

Inuyasha stood up out of his chair and stretched his muscles. He felt as if he had been sitting in that chair all day long. He needed to get out of the office and into the gym. A gym had been built into the clinic specifically for him, but his other employees expressed an interest in it, so it was expanded into a company gym. Still, it was a place for him to go and unwind.

**xxx-xxxxx-xxx**

**roshully's note:**

Hi. Welcome to my story. I have no idea how I came about with this, but it just popped into my head one day and I just had to write it. Which is sad, because I had other story ideas from earlier that I wanted to write, but this just wouldn't let me.

I am trying to be as factual as I can with this story, so a lot of the medical terms and procedures are based on reality and not just something I made up. And I'll try to explain them within the context of the story if it fits. If not, check here for an explanation.

I appreciate reviews, but they are not necessary for next chapter postings, as it was with my other stories. But still, I like them as much as the next person. Questions, comments, concerns, or anything, let me know.

Thanks for reading.

roshully


	2. Chapter 2

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Two The Meet n' Greet**

Inuyasha, dressed in his usual loose fitting black cotton slacks and white cotton button shirt with the typical white lab coat wrapped around him, casually leaned up against the counter where Saori worked. He was waiting for her to return to her station with the morning's mail. He turned so that his back was resting against the sturdy furniture, scanning the room with his sparkling topaz eyes.

Already, the waiting room was filled with patients. Not all of them were his, but some he did recognize. This clinic wasn't just a fertility clinic, but a sexual health clinic as well, since one needed to be sexually healthy to conceive a child. Inuyasha was the head Reproductive Endocrinologist at the clinic. That was just a fancy way to say he was a fertility specialist.

"Ah, pleasant morning Inuyasha."

Inuyasha looked to the left to see a fellow doctor, also dressed in the standard white lab coat, standing next to him with a warm drink in his hand. It was sweetened tea. It was the same drink every morning for Miroku. The same damn thing every morning . . .

"Keh. It's morning," was his gruff reply. He really liked his job, but today was a day where he seriously thought about taking that much needed vacation he'd kept promising himself for the last, what, five years. Gods, had it been that long?

"Oh, gods," Miroku groaned out, his voice low, almost husky.

Inuyasha twitched his nose at the abrupt change in Miroku's scent. "You're not _that_ religious," Inuyasha joked at his friend's lineage of coming from a family of monks. Somehow, Miroku was the skipped generation of virtuous character. He was quite the opposite.

"I know. But still, I wouldn't mind parting _her_ Red Sea."

Miroku pointed toward the direction of the elevators. Inuyasha glanced over and was immediately drawn to the woman bent over the water fountain. Her backside made that perfect heart shape; the roundness of her butt cheeks coming to a soft point. Her black skirt was tight enough to allow the male doctors to visually examine her assets.

Inuyasha's eyes grazed downwards, taking in her long limber legs, tiny ankles and her petite feet squeezed into a pair of casual black heels. A slit in the back of her skit allowed Inuyasha to see the nylon covered flesh of the skin of her legs. And just above that, he could see the thick lacy band signifying that she wore thigh highs.

Garters were so **_fucking_** hot.

The woman stood up and turned to walk toward their office, giving the men the first glance of her other side. That tight ass and fine legs belonged to an even finer looking woman. She walked with perfect posture, a confidence that made her extremely beautiful. Wearing a light pink cashmere sweater, it softly hugged the curves of the upper half of her body. The collar of the sweater scooped down low enough to give a hint of cleavage, but nothing scandalous.

Her raven locks were pulled back away from her face, allowing the men to see her large grayish-blue eyes, tiny nose and smiling plump lips. Her white skin was illuminated with naturally rosy cheeks and some unnatural mascara. Overall, both men silently agreed that she was one of the finer specimens to grace this clinic.

Miroku looked up toward the heavens. "Yearly checkup," he prayed to the gods, fingers crossed, palms pressed together to as a prayer.

Inuyasha's only response was a snort. Not that he was going to say anything as the woman was now standing next to them, searching for the secretary. Saori returned at that moment from somewhere in the back with the mail, smiling at the patient.

"How can I help you?" Saori asked, tossing the thick stack of envelopes to the side. She still had to go through, organize, and then slip them into their appropriate boxes.

"Hi, I'm scheduled for an appointment today," the woman said, handing Saori her identification card.

Checking it over, Saori looked down at her appointment back, handing the ID back to its owner. "Welcome. I'll need you to fill out these forms." Saori placed a clipboard with several pieces of colored paper on the counter along with a company pen, free for the patient to keep if they wished. She had a box full of them. "Have a seat over there and you can bring me the forms when you are done."

The woman smiled as she picked up the clipboard and walked over to the reception area. It had several plush looking chairs, plants, lamps and tables with an assortment of magazines. Inuyasha and Miroku watched as she said something to the pregnant woman she ended up sitting next to.

"Mrs. Matsumoto," Saori called out as she placed several pieces of colored paper into a file. Mrs. Matsumoto stood up. She was an elderly woman with a frown gracing her thin grey lips as she wobbled over to the counter. "Mrs. Matsumoto, this is Dr. Miroku. He's your physician for today.

Miroku frowned as Saori slapped the folder against his chest. Saori only smiled a perfect set of white teeth as Miroku took the folder from her and met up with Mrs. Matsumoto so he could politely escort her to his office. Inuyasha could feel Saori's glare burning holes into his thick head.

_Slave driver_.

He sighed as he grumbled inaudible obscenities while heading back to his office to do work.

Inuyasha decided not to go to his office right away. Instead, he headed to the men's restroom. Inside, he glanced at himself in the oversized mirror, taking in his features. Honey-flavored eyes, overgrown silver hair with unruly bangs, fangs, sharp claws on his hands and the real kicker, velvety dog ears perched proudly at the top of his head. All of the physical features that stood out were attributes of his demon ancestry. On the inside, that was where his humanity was hiding.

Splashing some cool water onto this face, he pulled back his silver locks into the best braid he could muster, letting that be his professional look for the day. Like he cared what he looked like. How he looked didn't affect the type of job he could do.

After leaving the washroom, he finally headed to his office readying himself for another long day of work. It was Thursday. The week was almost over with. He just had to get through today and tomorrow before the weekend officially began. And today was just starting.

Inuyasha opened the oak door to his office only to freeze in the doorway. Saori had let a patient into his office. And not any patient, the one had been blatantly checking out earlier. _Damn_. Her being in his office meant one thing – she was taken. Still, it didn't mean that he couldn't look. Though looking could be just as bad.

The woman turned and stood up from her seat upon hearing the door open. Inuyasha quickly recomposed himself, closing the door behind him. Taking deep short breaths, he turned to get started on this appointment.

"I'm Dr. Takahashi," he introduced himself.

The woman offered him a bow. "I'm Higurashi Kagome."

He bowed back, forgoing the handshake, which was probably a good idea. She had a pleasant voice. That was good. It meant he'd actually pay attention to her when she said anything, as long as her could keep from staring at her and spacing out.

Sitting down at his desk, he opened up her file, glancing at the paperwork she had just filled out. Higurashi? Higurashi. He couldn't remember any male patients with that last name.

"How can I help you?" he started out, briefly glancing up at her before returning his gaze to her file.

Kagome frowned. She thought he was supposed to be the best fertility doctor. "Uh, obviously I'm having a problem with conceiving," she replied in a sharp tone. She found his initial question rude, and embarrassing. He should've known why she was there.

He narrowed his eyes briefly at her before glancing back down at her file. There was a bright, shocking pink colored post-it note with Saori's scribbles on it. He growled at her message.

'This is Akitoki Hojo's P A R T N E R'

Inuyasha had explained to Saori his situation with Hojo. And Saori knew he was going to screw it up. Later, he'd have to get her back. But now, he was busy.

"Of course," Inuyasha sheepishly answered as he crumbled up Saori's note. "Has Mr. Akitoki said anything to you?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes. But I'm no scientist. All he said that his tests came out . . . normal."

Inuyasha could already sense her uneasiness. She firmly believed that she was somehow at fault for their inability to conceive a child. And he knew she blamed herself the moment Hojo disclosed the results to her. What an ass.

He took a deep sigh, giving her a quiet moment. Inuyasha would admit right away that he wasn't good with the whole emotional side to his job. That was why he had a psychologist, a whole floor of them. It was their job to talk through emotions. It was the science he was good with. It was what got women pregnant.

"So, what do I have to do?"

"I need to ask you some questions and then we'll have to run some tests before I can determine the best course for you. You'll also be required to talk to our psychologist once a week."

Kagome leaned back into the chair she had picked to sit in. He noticed she sat in the chair Hojo didn't sit in. What it meant, he didn't know, but it was just something weird to him. Clicking his pen, he found some sheets of paper to take his notes on.

"First, is there any history of infertility in your family, or any of your female relatives having miscarriages?"

"No."

Inuyasha was surprised she was able to answer that so quickly. Most women had to call relatives and ask them that, a process that ended up taking several days.

The first time Kagome was asked that, she called everyone her mother named. The second time, she called again. But this time, she didn't have to. She knew. Their answers wouldn't change no matter what.

"Any previous pregnancies?"

"No."

"If you've ever used contraceptives, what did you use and for how long?"

"I had taken Ortho Tri-Cyclen Lo since I was sixteen. I stopped taking it two years ago."

As he scribbled down her answers, he couldn't help but notice how automatic her responses were, so robotic. But Hojo had said that they had visited other doctors. Her answer wouldn't have changed much from one doctor to the next.

"Do you have regular cycles?"

"Yes."

"And your sexual history?"

"Hojo is my one and only."

Inuyasha couldn't believe that answer. He found it rare for anyone to be able to find the one they would spend the rest of their lives with. He was sure these two had to be the first couple to both have no sexual history. It was rather boring. Not like he had room to make comments.

"When was your last Pap Smear?"

"Two months ago." She reached into her purse and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Here are the results."

Inuyasha shook his head. "Won't need that."

She shrugged and placed the paper back in her purse.

"And how long have you been trying to get pregnant?"

"A little more than a year."

"Your hus . . . ah, no . . . partner mentioned that you sought help from other specialists. What treatments did you go through?"

"Just the low tech therapies. Ovulation regulation medication, recombinant fertility medication and artificial insemination."

Inuyasha made a list of these. They were the treatments performed first because they weren't complicated. Most of these treatments were successful. Very few of his patients required hat they called high-tech treatments.

Now for the next set of questions.

"Do you smoke, drink?"

"I don't smoke. I have a casual alcoholic drink every once in a while, but nothing on a daily basis. I mainly consume water, juice and tea."

"How's the rest of your diet?"

"Fine. I'm a nutritionist, so I have a rather decent diet."

"Exercise?"

"Daily for an hour, switching between yoga, cardio and weights."

Inuyasha could tell she took good care of herself from checking her out earlier. Legs like that came from some form of exercise. He continued with this line of questioning. She had a quick response for each one, making the process move smoothly and quickly.

"If you're ready, we'll head over to one of the examination rooms for the physical tests."

Kagome nodded. She was nervous. She watched as the doctor called for a female nurse to meet with him. The nurse arrived quickly. Kagome was asked to accompany the nurse so she could change into the examination gown.

Once Kagome was out of his office, Inuyasha stood up and reached down into his pants, readjusting his throbbing flesh into a more comfortable position. It had been a long time since he had a reaction like that to any of his female patients.

He didn't mean that all of his female patients were ugly; it was that he had become accustomed to the sexual nature of his job and in the process; he learned control, total control. Now, he was losing it, his well built defensive system was crumbling down by the sight, the voice, the scent of one human female. The only way to hide it: white lab coat.

Inuyasha entered the examination room with the female nurse behind him. Kagome sat on the papered covered examination table dressed in the flimsy paper gown; her bare legs cross demurely at the ankles.

"All right Kagome. Here's how this works: I'll tell you first what I'm going to do. If you at all feel uncomfortable, let me know and our nurse, Shiroi, will perform what it is that is to be done. Okay?"

Kagome just nodded.

Inuyasha was required by law to have a female nurse in the room when he performed these examinations on any female. He was glad for it too. It would be easy to blame a hanyou for sexual misconduct with a patient.

Keh, like I'd do that.

_With this one you might._

Knock that shit off.

"First, I need to check your thyroid." Kagome nodded, allowing Inuyasha to walk up to her to start the process. He carefully placed his clawed fingers around her neck, checking the size of her thyroid. Many patients were afraid to have a demon with such sharp fingernails to wrap their powerful hands around their fragile necks. But he sensed no fear from Kagome.

He walked away from her to the where the counter was at, making a note in her file that her thyroid was normal. He gave Kagome a quick smile to let her know that her thyroid was fine.

"I need you to take several deep breaths."

Kagome inhaled and watched as her doctor closed his eyes. She let out the air slowly. She repeated the process several times until she saw him open his eyes. Then she stopped.

"Heart and lungs sound normal."

"Wait. Don't you need one of those . . . things?" She motioned with her hands describing the things that doctors put in their ears to listen to hearts.

"Stethescopes?" he asked. She nodded when the word sounded familiar. "Keh, don't need that."

"Why?"

He pointed to the ears at the top of his head. "Maybe I'll need to do an eye examine on you."

"Hey!" she shot out at his cheap remark. "That's not nice."

He didn't care so he just shrugged his shoulders. He looked over at the nurse and nodded. Shiroi stood up straight, ready for what was coming next.

"Next, a breast examination." Inuyasha turned to Shiroi who took a few steps toward Kagome.

"What, you can't use your superior senses to check them?" That came out weird.

Inuyasha couldn't believe she had said that. Nor could he believe that Shiroi was trying to stifle her giggle. "Sorry, I don't have X-ray vision. _That_ went to Superman."

"But he had super hearing as well," she counted back.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to retort, but quickly closed it. He couldn't believe that he almost let her drawn him into an argument. She was his patient. They were supposed to argue. And about Superman? A man who only exists in painted pictures?

"Do you want me to do it or not?"

Kagome blushed at the thought of another man touching her breasts. There was the option of the nurse. But somehow, having the nurse and not the doctor do it bothered her. What if the nurse missed something that the doctor might have found? She just couldn't take that risk.

With her eyes directed down at her lap, she softly responded to his question. "You, uh, you can do it." She was so embarrassed.

Inuyasha quietly made his way over to her. Reaching around, he untied the top strings to loosen up the gown. Kagome gasped and held onto that breath when she felt his hands on her. Inuyasha left the gown on her, only reaching inside, giving her some sense of privacy.

When finished with the right breast, he examined the left breast in the same manner. He had examined hundreds, thousands of pairs of breast, each set different. But these . . . they were perfect to him. Soft, fleshy, slightly bouncy and they just so happened to fit perfectly in his hand.

Pulling out, he reached back and tied her gown up. "No lumps. Have you ever had discharge?"

"No," was her meek reply. Her face was beet red and she felt like she was on fire. It had to be nerves. It just had to be. It couldn't be because he was . . . no. Not that.

Opening a nearby drawer, he pulled out a pair of latex gloves. "You're not allergic to latex, are you?" He glanced over to see her shake her head. "I'll need to do a pelvic exam." With the gloves snapped on her turned around to face her. "Unless you want a female."

"Yuka's off today," Shiroi stated.

"It's fine." Kagome lied down on the examination table. Shiroi helped to place her feet into the stirrups she dreaded at each of her visits. Once Kagome was all set up, Shiroi stepped back.

Kagome closed her eyes like she did every other time she found herself in this position. It always felt weird, intrusive. _Baby_, she thought. It as the thought that would get her through these moments when she truly was so exposed.

But what was different this time was that the doctor was male. An attractive one at that. Of course she had noticed the ears. Who wouldn't? But she didn't want to say anything about them. It would've been rude and inappropriate. She knew of some demons and hanyou that didn't want their obvious difference pointed out.

"Shiroi, can you grab the ultrasound machine."

Kagome opened her eyes. She tried sitting up, but her position prevented her from doing that. "What?"she desperately croaked out. "Did you find something wrong?"

"And the fiber optic telescope," he called out. Inuyasha stood up and walked around so Kagome could see him. "Nah. Nothing's wrong. Just some of the normal things we do here. The ultrasound gives me pictures to study. Remember, no X-ray vision," he tried to joke.

Kagome nodded, though she wasn't entirely convinced that she was fine. "And the telescope?"

"It's called a laparoscopy. It allows another glimpse of your insides. The image is recorded so I can study it in greater detail." He placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "It'll be fine."

He sensed her relaxing, which relaxed him. But why did he care? He was never so . . . soft with any of his patients. His gruff attitude told his patients that he was honest and straight forward with them. Many didn't like it, but why beat around the bush?

Shiroi returned with two machines on two carts with wheels. Kagome closed her eyes in anxiousness and of more prodding and probing of her body. She'd figured they would be gentler with her. She was a delicate being after all.

She thought about what life would be like was she was finally pregnant. This past year had slowed down her life, putting a crimp in her and Hojo's plans. It had been stressful and depressing, almost nightmarish. What if . . . what if . . .

"Oi, Kagome?" Inuyasha sensed extreme melancholy from her. The tests were always daunting to the women. But Kagome seemed to be hit particularly hard by it.

Kagome opened her eyes. She found Inuyasha looking down at her. It was obvious he was somewhat concerned for her. She sat up, noticing that she could actually sit up. It was over with.

"Sorry," she apologized; ashamed that she let her thoughts get the best of her.

"Uh, Shiroi is going to take a blood sample. Then she's going to take you to another room for an HSG, a hysterosalpinogram. It's an X-ray of a dye inserted into the uterus. Afterwards, you can dress and return to my office."

Kagome nodded, but she wouldn't look at him. Inuyasha motioned for Shiroi to get Kagome's blood from her as he snapped off his latex gloves, tossing them into the bio-hazard waste bucket.

The HSG normally took a half hour. He had that long to get back under control. What he needed was a very cold shower, but he had no time for that. So he headed into the men's room, again. He thought about retreating to his office. But he felt guilty at the thought of relieving himself in there, it would be totally inappropriate. Not that he thought masturbation was a bad thing, quite the opposite actually.

But _she_ was his patient.

He placed his palms on the cool surface of the tiled countertops, taking in long deep breaths. The smell of her . . . the feel of her . . . it was overwhelming on his senses. He had to cut the pelvic exam short. If he had continued, he would've gone way beyond the scope of sexual misconduct to a form of rape.

"Inuyasha, you look like shit."

Inuyasha hadn't heard Miroku enter the bathroom. And how he wished he had gone straight to his office. Inuyasha turned on the cold water, watching it pour out of the faucet.

"That woman . . . "

"The totally hot, fuckable one from this morning?" Miroku asked in a form of wording he only used around Inuyasha.

"She's my fucking patient."

Miroku let out a very disappointed sigh. One because she wasn't his patient. And two, any patient of Inuyasha's was a patient already in a relationship. It was one reason why Inuyasha hardly dated; he couldn't meet eligible women at work.

"Have you . . . "Miroku started to ask.

Inuyasha turned the water off. "I couldn't finish it."

Miroku put a supportive hand on Inuyasha's shoulder. "We do have porn in the ejaculatory room which is currently empty."

Inuyasha just shook his head at the tempting idea. "Keh. I'm not desperate, just . . . "

"Deprived," Miroku finished for him. "I wish you strength, control and lots of luck. You'll need it for this one."

Inuyasha growled as he bolted out of the bathroom and down the hallway to his office. He left the door open for when Shiroi brought Kagome back. He occupied his time and his mind with other files. He did have other patients who were in the same boat as Kagome and would require just as much attention as her.

Twenty minutes later, he head Kagome and Shiroi. Both were involved in some sort of conversation. It seemed that Kagome was doing most of the talking. When they entered the office, Shiroi handed Inuyasha Kagome's file.

"Try it with low-fat or fat-free peanut butter," Kagome said to Shiroi as she sat down in the chair she had sat in earlier.

"I will, thanks." Shiroi left Kagome alone to finish her appointment with Inuyasha taking with her the advice Kagome gave.

Kagome turned her attention to Inuyasha, waiting for whatever if was he still needed to discuss with her.

"When do you have sex?"

"I beg your pardon?" she blurted out. Of course he could be curious about her sexual activities, but how he said it, so openly, so right out of the blue, it came off as rude. She found herself saying that word about him a lot.

"When do you have sex?" he repeated himself.

"I don't know if that's . . . appropriate."

"Trust me, it is."

Kagome sighed. She thought back to the last time she had sex with Hojo. "I guess we normally do it on the weekends. The week's always so busy for us."

"When are you available for an appointment next week?"

Kagome blinked rapidly a couple of times at the complete 180 degree turn in the questions. "Uh, Tuesday's good."

"You and Hojo will need to engage in sex Monday night."

"Excuse me? I'm sorry, but I don't feel that you . . . "she stopped when he raised his hand to her.

"So far, both you and Hojo check out fine. The last test I need to do is a post-coital test. Sometimes, it's the sex that prevents his swimmers from reaching the finish line. If you engage in sexual intercourse Monday night, we can test you immediately on Tuesday."

Kagome felt really bad for not trusting him. He was only trying to help her. She had no reason to question his methods. His reputation as the best should've satisfied her. She was acting like this because it was unexpected. Maybe this was why she had failed with the other doctors.

"Now, before you go, when is your appointment with the psychologist?"

"Tomorrow at three."

That was good. This way, he could confer with the psychologist before her next appointment. He closed her file up and took a long gaze at her. Self-torment was the worst.

"After Tuesday's appointment, I'll require both yours and Hojo's presence. By then, I'll have all of the test results back and we can start on an appropriate treatment. So, any questions?"

"No. I don't think so."

"Well, Tuesday then."

"Tuesday." Kagome stood up and bowed to Inuyasha. He nodded his head back at her. She turned and walked to the door. His eyes were glued to her backside, watching as her glossy hair, hips, ass and legs all moved in sensual harmony. Whether she got pregnant or not, Kagome was going to be his most difficult case.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's corner**

This story was brought to you by **_Durables_** – the latex gloves strong enough for the sharpest claws, and gentle enough for the delicates.

roshully


	3. Chapter 3

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Three The Psychologist is In**

The psychologist turned in her soft brown leather chair to look out the blind covered windows. She sighed at the view. The sky was cloudless, a pale blue color filled with the white glow of the mid-afternoon sun. The water sparkled with tiny flecks of bright white that beckoned visitors to its cool liquid. It looked like today was a warm day. And by the time she left her office, it wouldn't be there for her.

It was Friday. Her last appointment of the day had yet to show up, teasing her with the possibility of getting off work earlier than normal. But what did it mean to get home early? A jump start on delivered pizza, pints of ice-cream and an endless series of action movies? Actually, that's exactly what it would be.

Glancing at the grandiose grandfather clock snuggly placed between a bookshelf and a tall, leafy plant, she sighed at the time; 3:25. Her appointment was very late. And there wasn't any word on whether the patient had canceled or not. So, until she heard something, she was stuck in her office until at least five.

The loud buzz of her phone dragged her from her thoughts. Reaching for the receiver, she brushed her long silky hair off her shoulders so she could comfortably access her ear.

"Yes?"

"Your three o'clock is here if you still want to meet with her."

She puffed out a small bit of air. If she said no, she could go home, but it wasn't late enough yet. "Yes, uh, please, send her in."

She put the receiver down. Looking at the patient's file on her desk, she opened it up. The file came through yesterday. Dr. Takahashi was right. Just by his notes alone, this case was not typical. A non-married couple seeking fertility treatments. And the woman was only 25 years old.

The door opened and a timid female carefully slipped inside, closing the door without as much as a sound. The psychologist stood up, motioning for her patient to have a seat.

"I'm so sorry. I forgot how hectic traffic is on Fridays."

The psychologist smiled. "It's okay. I actually know what traffic can be like on a Friday. I'm surprised you were able to find parking." She took a seat in the chair across from her patient. Having the desk between them wouldn't allow the proper discourse to flow freely.

"Actually, I don't own a car. I took the bus."

"Oh, well, it's a hassle anyways. Gas, insurance, oil, maintenance."

The patient shook her head, her smile dropping. "And they are dangerous."

"I guess they can be."

"No, they are. Hojo insists on having one, for work. Though he could just as easily carpool."

"But they are handy to have around when you need them. For those times when you just need to get away from it all. Or emergencies"

Kagome frowned some more. "Even then . . . "her voice trailed off as her eyes dulled. "I'm sorry, we should probably discuss something else. Cars are not the reason why I'm here."

"We can talk cars. It might not be the girly thing to do, but to hell with stereotypes. What kind of car does Hojo have?"

Kagome decided to just go along with it. "He owns a BMW Convertible. I'm not sure of the series. It's black. Leather seats."

"That's a nice car. A bit speedy for my tastes, but I do believe that guys and women have differing tastes when it comes to vehicles."

"I hate it. I hate being in it. Sometimes, when he turns, I . . . I get this feeling in the pit of my stomach . . . "

"The nauseous, stomach flipping, rollercoaster feel?"

"Eh, kind of . . . but . . . not enjoyable. Rollercoasters, now they are fun. Cars . . . cars aren't."

"Why aren't they fun?"

"My grandfather, father and little brother . . . they . . . their deaths were a result of car accidents. Not all at the same time . . . but . . . "

"Here."

Kagome took the tissue her psychologist had offered her. She wiped the tears away. It had been a long time since she cried over this issue. She thought she'd healed from it. She had moved on with her life. This was in the past; she was now living in her present, preparing for her future.

"Thanks."

"When did it happen? The accidents?"

"Oh, um, well, my father died when I was like seven, eight years old. My grandmother had died before that. My grandfather offered his place for us. Me, my mom, my little brother and my grandfather, we lived together in a shrine. A little more than two years ago, my little brother, Souta is, uh, was his name, he was taking my grandfather to see the Dali Lama, who was giving a speech. But, they never made it." Kagome wiped more of the tears away.

"It was a head-on collision. The other guy's fault. My grandfather died instantly, but Souta, he . . . he died a few days later once the doctors . . . they said there was nothing more they could do. My mom and I, we made the decision to terminate life support."

"I can see why you wouldn't want Hojo to drive."

"Any man who I love has died in car accidents. I don't know what I would do if it happened again."

"Sounds like you really love Hojo."

Kagome didn't answer right away. Her fingers crumbled and stretched the dampened tissue. She was trying really hard to contain her emotions. It wouldn't do her any good to have some kind of emotional breakdown now. She had accepted their deaths a long time ago.

"Oh yeah. I do."

"How'd you meet him?" the psychologist giggled. "Sorry, I'm a hopeless romantic."

Kagome giggled back, temporarily putting the depressing thoughts away. "Well, it was high school. I was the naïve little freshman and he was the confident all-knowing senior. He asked me out a couple of times, but I thought he was the typical senior, trying to get an easy lay from a freshman girl, so I turned him down. But he never gave up. Prom came around and he asked me to go with him. No one else did, so I said yes. He was the perfect gentlemen. Limo, flowers, fancy reservation-only restaurant, tuxedo, the works."

"Well, he graduated and left for college. I didn't think much of him until college. I was enrolled in one of those intro science courses and he was the TA. He said hi, he missed me and invited me out to coffee a few times, then dinner and then we were dating as a couple."

"How long of you two been together?"

"Uh, almost six years."

"Wow, that's impressive." The psychologist glanced at Kagome's hand, but found no rings. "Any plans for marriage?"

"Well," Kagome nervously chuckled, her stormy eyes darting around the room as she racked her brain for a logical answer, "perhaps one day, but for now . . . what Hojo and I have . . . we don't need a wedding. If nothing's wrong, why fix it, ne?"

"I guess. It's just so unusual for a couple that's not married to work so hard on having a child."

"Short of legal documentation and inviting a bunch of people to watch us vocalize vows that Hojo and I share on a daily basis, we are married spiritually."

"Spiritually?"

"My grandfather was a priest. He blessed us, our partnership. He was going to do the more formal thing, with friends and family present, but . . . "

"I see. Sorry."

"It's okay. I get asked it a lot, so I'm used to explaining it."

"Do you ever think about it?"

"About what? Marriage?" The psychologist nodded. "Uh, sometimes."

"Traditional, western . . . remember, hopeless romantic here."

"I had thought of the more traditional one. But my friends are getting married following the western styles, so . . . I guess I haven't put that much thought into it."

"What keeps you so busy then?"

Uh, school, work, you know . . . life."

"Yeah, life does get in the way of living. So, work, school . . . what are you studying?"

"Uh, well, I have a degree in nutrition. Hojo and I went to the same school. After graduating, I took a job at a school of culinary arts teaching nutrition basics. I also attend that school studying the culinary arts."

"I like food. I don't have time to cook much."

"I actually don't cook as much as often as you'd think. I work during the day and my classes are in the evening, so dinner is normally grab n' go."

"So, how does your school/work schedule mesh with Hojo's schedule?"

"Night classes are only twice a week, Mondays and Wednesdays. And Hojo likes to cook, so we take turns with that."

"Do you go out on the weekends? Go to the theater, dancing . . . ?"

"Mmm . . . sometimes. We like to hang out at home. He is a bookworm. So, sometimes we'll walk to the bookstore. We can both spend hours in those places. He likes his science and I lose myself in the cooking and the crafts."

"That's it?"

"Pretty much. I do go visit my mother. We like to get together, do some shopping, get lunch. Then I'll go to the shrine with her, and we'll cook a meal together, watch an old movie."

The psychologist noticed Kagome's face during the time she talked about Hojo and compared it with her expressions when she talked about her mother. Talking about her mother brought nothing but smiles, ones that reached her eye. Hojo, though she smiled, there was something else there, something that held her back. It could just be the stress of not being to conceive, or perhaps an issue that even Kagome wasn't fully aware of.

"You and you're mother are close I take it."

"I love my mom. She's a mother and a friend. She's just . . . she's always there, good, bad, sad, or whatever. She doesn't have to say a word, just a hug. That's all it takes from her."

"Have you talked to her about you and Hojo wanting a child?"

Kagome sucked in a good portion of her bottom lip, her foot fluttering against the carpeted floor. "Kinda. She knows we're trying, but . . . I don't know, it's weird."

"What's weird about it?"

"She's a typical mother. She's been hinting at grandchildren since I turned sixteen. So I know she's okay with it, but . . . I think she's afraid that she won't get any now that I'm having this . . . problem. I don't know if she doesn't talk about it much because she doesn't want to pressure me. Or get excited over false hopes."

"Do you feel pressure from your mother?"

"Oh no. Not at all. I know she wants them, but I also know that it'll happen when I'm ready. She's been . . . supportive."

"And are you ready?"

"Ready?" Kagome scratched her head. "Yeah, I believe that I am. I believe that we are."

"What about school? Your job?"

"I'm done with school in two months. I've already told them that I'm working on a family."

"Sounds like you've really thought this through."

"I've had time to. We've been working on creating a family for a good year now. A little more than that. I feel like our lives have stalled because of this problem I have."

"What plans, other than this child, do you have?"

"Well, Hojo is working his way up at his job. He's thinking he might get promoted if his project gets approved. But with his job, money isn't much of an issue."

"So, stay at home mom? Those are rare these days."

Kagome didn't answer right away. She quickly closed her mouth. As she opened her mouth to comment, she was interrupted by a soft buzzing sound. "What's that?" she asked as it slowly increased in volume.

The psychologist stood up and walked to her desk, picking up a small white device that Kagome recognized as a timer. "Session's over with," she said as she turned off the annoying sound.

Kagome spun her head around until she found the grandfather clock. Yep, it was four o'clock. Time went by so fast. But she felt like she hadn't accomplished anything. She looked back at the psychologist.

"That's . . . it?"

"For this week."

"Oh. Uh, okay. So . . . same time next week?"

"If that works best for you. Talk to Saori if you need to make a change."

"Sure. Thanks uh . . . "

"Oh my. I forgot to introduce myself. How silly of me. Way to build that doctor/patient trust. Not fair that I know your name from your file. I'm Dr. Taijiya, but if you wish, you can call me by my first name, Sango."

"Sango. That's a pretty name."

"Thanks. I have one suggestion for you this week. I want you and Hojo to go out, a nice little restaurant and talk about anything but this or babies. Talk about politics, his work, your work, celebrity gossip, anything. But no fertility issues, understand?"

"Yeah."

"Also, what you say here doesn't leave this office. However, I do share my professional opinions with Dr. Takahashi as it relates to helping you conceive. So if you talk about the conflicts in the Middle East, I won't report your words unless I sense that it's affecting your ability to conceive, okay?"

"Yes. So, I'll see you next week then."

"Have a good weekend Kagome."

You too. Sango."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

In Sango's apartment, her TV quietly played the movie of the moment, flashing through its action sequences. Her apartment was dimmed, with the only light not coming from the TV coming from some scented candles she had lit when she finally made it home from work. After the candles were lit, she ordered take-out pizza, took a quick shower, slipped into some sweats and found her way onto her couch.

It was now nearing midnight. The channel she had chosen had gone through several cheesy Kung-Fu movies. Her pizza was gone as well as several cans of soda. She was curled up on her large, plush couch, wrapped up in a blanket her mother had sewn for her when she was a child. Her dark brown eyes were shut, but her ears and mind were wide open.

Her ears weren't tired of the voice she had been listening to for the last several hours. This was her fourth time listing to her session with Kagome earlier that day. While Kagome talked about cars, Sango heard something else being said. There was a lot to hear in words not spoken.

The first two times Sango studied Kagome's session, it was the recorded film version she watched. A lot of what a person says isn't spoken through the mouth, but with body language and facial expressions. Sango would analyze the body, the words, and then put the two together.

As soon as the voices had said their goodbyes, Sango shut the ipod down and slipped the headphones off her red ears. She stretched her stiff muscles out before prying her tired body off her couch. Stumbling down the hall, she fell softly onto her bed. Once covered in her cool white blankets, she closed her eyes as her mind organized her thoughts about Higurashi Kagome.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Sango tapped her fingers against of glass of iced white coffee. Her laptop stared back at her as her mind worked on getting her thoughts onto the machine so she would have something for Kagome's file come Monday. There were other files to work on, but Sango couldn't deny that something about Kagome was drawing her in.

"Sango."

Sango looked up, recognizing Inuyasha instantly. She moved her files off half of the table and out of the chair so he had room. Once everything was safely packed away, Inuyasha sat down.

A waitress approached and slipped a menu and glass of water towards Inuyasha. He picked it up and glanced over it a few times. Sango tried to work on her laptop. She knew what she wanted to say, she just didn't know how to phrase it the way she wanted to sound.

Inuyasha didn't say anything until the waitress returned. He ordered a double-bacon-cheeseburger with extra crispy fries. Sango settled for a BLT sandwich with the soup of the day: cream of potato. Once the waitress left with the menus and orders, Inuyasha glanced over at Sango.

"So . . . "he started like he normally did when they got together like this.

Sango frowned as she saved her work so she could close her laptop up. Talking about her thoughts might make it easier for her to write out her analysis. Already, she wanted to help this girl, feeling sympathetic towards her. Yet . . .

"So . . . "Sango muttered as she clopped up her laptop, sticking it in its leather case before giving it time to cool down. "Who's first?"

Inuyasha pulled out his files. He read the name of the first file. "Suzuki."

"They are doing fine. My only concern is that if the procedure doesn't take, she'll need extra counseling for the depression. Perhaps him as well."

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders. "So far, things are fine. The fetus is sex weeks into development."

"Well, we'll just keep the extra counseling as an option. Next."

Inuyasha slipped the Suzuki file back into his leather bag. "Next is Tanaka."

"They have the normal fears for a couple who've experienced problems with conceiving a child. I do feel that she'll have difficult with post-partum depression and I've already started to talk to both of them about it as we come into the final month."

Inuyasha put that file away. They went through a few more files before coming to the last one. The one both were anxious to talk about. The Higurashi-Akitoki file. Kagome's name first because she was the one trying to get pregnant.

"You talked to them yesterday?"

Hojo came in for an hour at nine. Kagome come in later in the afternoon. Sango pulled out the stuff she did on Hojo. This was Inuyasha's copy. She slid it over to him and just slid it into his file on them. Inuyasha would read it later as it sometime helped him on how to deal with patients.

"And Kagome's?" he asked noticing only the one file. He eyed Sango suspiciously. She was never one to be late with her work.

"I'm still working on it," she quickly mumbled before taking a sip of her iced drink. Sango set her drink down at looked directly at Inuyasha. "I want to talk to you about her."

Inuyasha was reaching for his glass of water when Sango said that to him. His hand slipped, causing the iced liquid to spill away from him. "Shit," he muttered, causing the silver to spill as he whipped up a napkin to dry the table.

"Let me," the waitress announced as she showed up with their food. She wiped the table down before serving them their meals. She stole some napkins from the nearby empty tables to replace the one Inuyasha had used.

Sango dipped her soup spoon into the thick liquid, watching as it slowly filled up. "She arrived a half-hour late to the appointment," Sango started before taking the first bite of soup. Inuyasha wasn't going to interrupt, not yet. "That was how the session started. Her faith in public transit."

"Sango, I don't fuckin' pay you to discuss politics."

"Well just wait. It was . . . interesting. If we didn't, I would've learned that three generations of the males in her family all died in car accidents."

"Three generations?" he asked before munching down on his cheeseburger.

"Her father first, when she was younger. Then her grandfather and younger brother about two years ago. These three deaths have had a tremendous impact on her life."

"Hobo . . . "

"Hojo . . . " Sango corrected him.

"Homo mentioned her grandfather marrying them."

Sango nodded, noticing that he was still unable to grasp the simple name. "Yeah. Kagome mentioned that as well. It's one reason why they haven't married. I'll get to that in a bit. It's this family thing that's got me. I'm wondering if her desperate want for a family stems from these three deaths."

She stirred her soup up some before taking a few bites. "You know, she's the last one in her family. She's probably pressuring herself to have a child to continue the family, and she might not be aware of that."

"Is that a reason to deny her fertility treatments?"

"No. It's more like a reason to make sure she does get a child." Sango pushed her half-eaten soup away so she could work on her sandwich. "But, it'll be hard with that kind of pressure."

"Sango, this is all great and fuckin' fascinating, but my concern is the fact that these two aren't married. I don't need to tell you how much of a liability this is. Unmarried couples, in this business, it's unstable, not safe."

"And they'll both argue with you on that issue. I think Kagome is passionate enough to go through with this. But that might take a few more sessions."

"So, you're sayin' I should treat them?"

"I'm saying do the test on Tuesday, let me talk to them again on Friday and I'll give you my professional opinion next week."

"Next week?" Inuyasha questioned. His cheeseburger was gone, as were most of his fries. He grabbed Sango's bowl of soup and started to dig his way into that.

"I've never been so unsure about a couple before. They are devoted to each other, so in love and yet . . . they won't get married. It's my topic for the next session."

Inuyasha frowned as he pushed the empty bowl of soup away. "I don't like this."

"Why? We've seen couples who hated each other come into the clinic. You've created miracles for those who were completely undeserving to commit a fraction of their thoughts to another being other than themselves. What matter does marriage really play?"

"The legal one." Inuyasha slid the file away from him as he carefully thought out what he needed to say. "It's not me. It's the damn board of directors. They're fuckin' pussies when it comes to shit like this. Lawsuits take money away from the clinic, from research."

Sango leaned back in her chair, raising her crumb covered fingers in the air. "That's for you to tell them. When's your next meeting with the board of directors?" She brought her hand down and brushed the crumbs off with her napkin.

"Wednesday, I think."

"And you're next appointment with Kagome?"

"Tuesday."

"I'd recommend that you continue with the appointment, and then bring the case up on Wednesday. Let me know their decision and I'll spend Friday talking to her about marriage."

"So, you're saying to hold off telling them if the clinic turns them down or not?" He didn't like that. It made him uncomfortable. It was like lying to them. Milking money out of them, giving them hope only to turn around and say that even though they are committed to each other, without a legal marriage, they can't have children.

"Basically. Since you don't know how the board will rule, just continue to treat them as any other couple." Sango thought this would be easier on the couple. Inuyasha wasn't one to play nice. If the board said no, he'd say no too instead of finding a way to ease the decision.

"Fine," he snapped. "But . . . "he started to say, pointing a clawed finger at her.

"I know. I know. I'll be sure to put something in their files about this so you don't get in trouble."

Inuyasha seemed satisfied with that. He didn't want to get in trouble with the board of directors. And if Sango used her professional opinion to sway them in the direction away from trouble, then he'd let her.

"What about the marriage thing?"

"It's . . . weird. It's like she wants to marry, but doesn't at the same time. Her excuse is . . . cute."

"Excuse me?" he shot out; unsure of the word she had really spoken.

"Yeah, the one where she only dreamed of having her grandfather marry her, but now that he's dead, she can't go through with it. It's morbidly cute."

"Damn Sango. I hate that word."

"Well, it'll get her sympathy. So, since her grandfather isn't there to marry her, she doesn't think about it. In fact, both of them avoid the topic all together. Hojo doesn't want to upset Kagome and Kagome believes that she'd be betraying her grandfather if any other priest married them. She doesn't want to upset him as he rests in his grave. That would be like cursing herself."

"Sounds fucked up. The board won't buy it."

"There is a loophole. The grandfather's blessing. If there's a record of it, then it might be enough."

"Another reason to continue with it. Fuck," he whispered his favorite versatile word.

Sango folded her hands on the table as she learned forward in Inuyasha's direction. Feeling threatened, Inuyasha leaned away from her, to the point of moving his chair back. He didn't like that look on her face. He'd seen it before.

"You've been hanging out with Miroku too much."

Sango smiled, but failed to deny that accusation. "He called me last night."

"Fuck," Inuyasha softly muttered, turning his blushing face away from her.

"He did mention this incredibly, what did he say, ah, yes, this incredibly _do-able_ patient that arrived earlier this week that made your job difficult."

"Are you going to analyze _my_ mind?"

"No. Not formally. But I have to ask . . . was Kagome that patient?"

Inuyasha sighed. He tightened and loosened his grip on the arms of the chair he was sitting in as he used silence to avoid answering Sango. Damn Miroku. Damn Sango. Damn Hojo. Damn Kagome.

Miroku was a bastard for teasing him about it and then going to Sango. Sango had no place to pull this psycho-babble bullshit on him. Hojo shouldn't even exist. Because then, he might have a chance with Kagome. Yet, his path would've never crossed hers if it wasn't for Hojo. Damn Miroku. And damn Sango. Twice.

Sango didn't wait for Inuyasha to reply knowing that he was doing his best to ignore the topic of conversation. "Far be it from me to tell you what kind of trouble you'd get yourself into."

"I fuckin' know that. Sheesh Sango. I am a professional. I've had hot twenty-year olds with their eighty-year old sugar daddies in my office, on my examination table, legs spread wide . . . "

"I get the picture." She got too much of it actually. He didn't have to be so . . . descriptive. Those twenty-year olds had passed through her office as well. Robots were what she thought of them. They did only as the rich man told them to do. Be pretty, have my baby and my money will take care of you.

"Then you know that Kagome is no different. Just some hot chick passing through on the way to the rest of her life," he voiced back to Sango louder than he should've been. "I don't care what that asshole Miroku tells you."

"Okay, granted Miroku is a liar when it comes to his exploits and practices. But, when it comes to his friends, he doesn't. Not once. And not about you."

"What did he say?"

"He said that you looked rattled."

The next time he saw Miroku, he was going to rattle that scrawny neck of his. So what if he hadn't dated a girl in . . . when was the last time he went on a date? He couldn't remember. And sex? He just hadn't had a good lay for a while. That was they he was rattled. It wasn't Kagome. She just reminded him that he had no sex life other than the one he provided himself.

"I just . . . I need . . . well . . . "Inuyasha found himself unable to vocalize what he's known fro a while now. Maybe if he actually said it, it would make it that much more of the truth. He wasn't the type to admit that his life was far from being decent.

Sango placed a hand on Inuyasha's arm, causing him to look right into her eyes. He was afraid to. Afraid of seeing pity or sympathy or crap along those lines. Being pitied wasn't going to help him. But he didn't know what could.

What he saw thought, was Sango looking like Sango. They had known each other for along time, and she was his friend. He wasn't attracted to her at all, and he knew the same was true for her. She was someone he could trust. That was hard to come by for a hanyou, so he valued their companionship greatly.

"Whatever you decided to do, just be careful."

With that said, Sango removed her hand from Inuyasha, knowing that the action was intrusive, but that action had gained his complete attention. He heard her words clearly and she knew it.

Sango knew the trouble he was having. And she had seen and talked to Kagome. Kagome seemed to be a nice girl. And she was a natural beauty, someone that Inuyasha could easily be attracted to because of his demon heritage.

However, Kagome was in a long-term relationship with a guy that so far was decent and very much in love with her. Also, Kagome was a patient. The clinic had an un-written rule that employees and patients were a no-no. There was too much gray-area to navigate through and it was best to just avoid it.

Sango was tempted to tell Inuyasha to switch Kagome to another doctor in the clinic. It would allow him to avoid the problems he was heading into. But, Inuyasha had a strict personal rule that once he started with a patient, he wouldn't switch unless the patient requested it. It was a rule he made for himself because it kept him motivated. And because of that rule, Inuyasha quickly became the best in the field. A doctor who would never give up and a doctor who gave hope to those desperate for the miracle of life.

"If there's nothing else, then I'm going to head back home to finish this up. I'll email you a copy if you want," Sango said as she organized her stuff. Picking up her purse, she set the medium sized black leather bag onto table and fished around for her wallet.

"I got it."

"Are you sure?" Sango asked as she now held her wallet firmly in her right hand, her left ready to snap open the button.

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Sango chuckled as she returned her wallet back into the confines of her purse. "You're only doing this to tease Miroku."

"What?" Inuyasha cried out innocently.

Sango slung her purse over her shoulder. "You're going to tell him you had lunch with me. Then he'll whine to you about it, and then he'll nag to me about how I won't go out on a date with him."

Inuyasha smirked. Sango knew him and Miroku too well. "Ah, you can thank me later for it."

"Before or after I kill the both of you?"

"Keh, you could certainly try."

Sango laughed as she waved goodbye before exiting the tiny café they frequented often. Inuyasha waved back at her, watching her as she left. Since Inuyasha accepted her as someone more than just a friend, his instincts kicked in to watch over and protect her. He used to grumble about it, but if anything were to happen to Sango, or even Miroku, he knew he would lose those that had value to him.

Inuyasha sighed. His life, or his lack of one, was creeping into his work, affecting his ability to think straight about a patient. He knew he was bordering on a knife's edge. One wrong move and what he had worked so hard on would be gone in an instant. That he couldn't let happen.

But . . . damn . . . there was something about her that tugged at him. He didn't know if it was because of the lack of intimate female companionship in is life or what, yet, it was there and he had no clue as to how to deal with it.

Pulling out his wallet, he threw down enough cash to cover lunch and tip. Standing up, he left the café towards his truck, unsure of where to go. With the roar of gas combusting, he headed down the street, first stop, the grocery store, then home. He had a few nights to fix the problem he had with his new patient.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**


	4. Chapter 4

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko. Sadly, I am a penniless writer.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Four Awkward **

"While celery, carrots and onions are the basic vegetables utilized, always remind yourself of how you are going to use the stock. Soup, gravy. The reason is because adding different vegetables, seasonings, can enhance the flavors of the meals you will use the stock for."

Kagome scribbled out the advice her instructor gave to all the students sitting in the evening _Cooking Staples_ class. On the projector screen in front of them was a clear picture of a model mixing cut chunks of onions, carrots and celery into a large metal mixing bowl. With a tap of the button, the picture changed to the next phase of preparing the basic soup stock.

"Chicken, beef, turkey, fish, all of these can be used for meat stocks. Omitting of the meat creates a vegetable stock. But, any stock can be enhanced to your own tastes and uses."

The instructor glanced at the clock, frowning at the few minutes left for class. Turning back to the computer, he shut down the slide show presentation, which caused the projector screen to shut off and the fluorescent lights to flicker on, eliciting groans from the students.

"Your homework is to make two stocks. Once using the basic formula I presented in class, and another one of your own creation. Plus, you need to explain why you added what you did and explain its use in a meal. This will be typed, no less than two pages, but no more than five, doubled-space, size 12 sans-serif font. The assignment is posted on the class website. See you all again Wednesday night."

Kagome quickly closed her notebook up and stuffed it into her backpack, zippering it up closed once everything was inside. She had to hurry if she wanted to catch the bus. If she missed it, it was an extra fifteen to twenty minute wait for the next one. Slinging the book-filled pack onto her back, she slipped out of her seat and hurried towards the exit.

"Miss Higurashi," her instructor's voice rang out. Kagome stopped, sighed and turned to walk back towards her teacher with a smile on her face. "Do you have a moment?"

"Yes. What can I do for you Chef Sakai?" Kagome asked as her eyes diverted down to the floor as a sign of respect for the master chef.

"I'm curious . . . how many classes do you have left until you graduate?"

"Um, let's see." Kagome was slightly taken back by his question. "What I'm taking now, cooking staples as an elective, uh, current cuisine and then my capstone class."

"And the externship?"

"My teaching here fulfills that course," Kagome explained. The other students in the externship course were hired out to restaurants or bakeries, working hours at those locations that turned into school credits.

"What courses do you teach?"

"I teach Garde Manger and Asian Cuisine." The Garde Manger course taught students the basics of food preparations. The Asian Cuisine class focused not only on Japanese, but Chinese, Korean, Southeast, Pan Asian and East Indian foods as well.

"I look forward to your Capstone portfolio Miss Higurashi."

Kagome gulped. She bowed to her teacher, turned and quickly hurried out of the classroom. Chef Sakai was a master chef with a reputation that was known to more than just other chefs worldwide. He had books and a successful television show that gained him popularity outside the culinary world. He was a superstar. Kagome was terrified of him.

She didn't think about why he was interested in seeing her portfolio as she had to hurry if she was to catch the bus. There was some time. Running as fast as she could, she made it to the bus stop just in time to see the bus drive off down the street, leaving a fuming Kagome sitting on the bench to wait for the next one.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Forty-five minutes later, Kagome dragged herself and her backpack into the apartment she shared with Hojo. Slipping her shoes off, Kagome made her way into the kitchen starving. Working with food all day, having classes about them, it only made her extremely ravenous at night.

Flipping the light on in the kitchen, she found it clean, meaning Hojo hadn't cooked dinner for either of them. She opened the fridge only to find nothing easy to prepare that would satisfy her taste bunds. Now she would have to cook for herself.

"Kagome, you're home."

Kagome poked her head out from behind the fridge door to see Hojo standing there in a simple white t-shirt and his light-blue cotton pajama bottoms. She stood up as she closed the door to the fridge.

"Yeah, I missed the bus," she explained her tardiness. A grumble from her stomach caused her to glance back into the kitchen. "You didn't cook?"

Hojo chuckled at her small obsession with food. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was invited to an informal dinner with the director of the lab."

Kagome looked back over at Hojo and smiled. "Oh, how did that go?"

Grinning back at her, he replied, "I think it went well. Just having him invite me was enough." He walked up to her, placing his hands on her hips and a quick peck on her cheek. "You have an appointment tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah, I do." Remembering her appointment brought a blush to Kagome's cheeks. "I told you about it last night."

It was Hojo's turn to blush as he remembered _that_ conversation. Glancing down at his foot as he twisted it against the wooden floor of the kitchen, he tried to gain his bearings and straighten them up the best he could. "Do you . . . "he swallowed the lump he found in his throat. "Now?"

Kagome looked up at Hojo then quickly turned away sure that she couldn't blush anymore than she had been in the last minute. "Is . . . is now, is it good for you?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Or is nor a bad time for you? I mean, you just got home. You haven't eaten yet."

"Right. Well, I'm . . . I can wait. You have to get up early for work and all."

"No. It's okay. This . . . this is what matters the most right now."

"Okay. Well . . . How about I meet you in the bedroom while I freshen up in the bathroom?"

"Sure. Sounds good." Hojo turned and headed through the living room back to the bedroom.

Kagome was behind him, but turned into the bathroom. She stripped off her clothes and tossed them in the hamper. Slipping on a night shirt, she grabbed the wash cloth and wiped her face clean. She sighed as she glanced at the reflection of herself in the mirror and decided that it wouldn't matter what she looked like anyway. Tossing the wet clothing into the sink, she left for the bedroom.

Hojo sat up in the bed. His shirt was off and she figured the rest of his clothes were as well. Kagome crawled into the bed, on her side. Once the blankets were covering her, she turned to her side, reached up and clicked off the light. Only, once it was dark, did Kagome pull off her nightshirt and slip her underwear off.

Scooting down the bed so that she was lying on her back, she waited for Hojo to make his move. The mattress moved and Kagome sucked in a large amount of air as Hojo's heavy frame rested on top of hers.

Closing her eyes and turning her head to the side, she stiffened when she felt Hojo quickly enter her. Snapping her eyes shut, she blocked out the small tinge of pain that normally accompanied this beginning part of the sexual experience. She wrapped her arms loosely around his back as he moved slowly in and out of her. The only sounds made were of Hojo's heavy, labored panting. Kagome alone had trouble breathing because of his full body weight lying on top of her.

She didn't know how long it was, a minute, three? But he grunted and then collapsed on top of her. His spent body sagging on top of and then out of her body.

He was covered in sweat and as he rolled off and out of her, Kagome could hear the sound of his skin peeling away from hers. She continued to lie there quietly, feeling the thick liquid dribble out of her, down her legs.

"I'm going to shower, then sleep," he quietly said as he slipped on some clothing in the dark while remaining in the bed.

"Okay," she replied meekly. The liquid continued to run down along her skin, soaking up in the sheets and she hoped that it wouldn't affect tomorrow's test. "I'm going to cook something to eat and then I'll sleep."

"Sounds good." He crawled out of the bed. Kagome could hear his feet pad quietly against the wooden floor. Once he was gone, she turned on the lamp that at on the nightstand next to her bed. Grabbing the nightshirt, she slipped it on before getting out of the bed and heading to the kitchen to make a quick meal.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

_Deep breaths_, he told himself as his bright gold orbs surveyed the cityscape below. _Slow, deep breaths_. He had to calm himself down. It was nearing that time. He wanted to believe, he needed to believe that his attraction to her was some fluke. His body was reacting to her only because of a physical need. For him, sex wasn't based on the premise that the female was just good looking. There were instincts and laws to follow.

The phone rang. It was Saori. His appointment was here. He picked up the phone and listened as Saori explained that Kagome had arrived and was walking down to his office this very moment. Inuyasha asked that she send a female nurse to his office in ten minutes.

As he put the phone back down on the receiver, there was a knock at the door. It was her. He could smell her sweet scent. That wasn't going to help him stay calm. The door slowly opened, filling the room up with her scent and her aura. Shit, he thought. He was any control he thought he had.

"Uh, Dr. Takahashi . . . "Kagome spoke out timidly, unsure if she was entirely welcomed. She didn't want to interrupt him.

"Kagome, come in."

He intently watched her as her body entered the room. She closed the door and walked over to the chairs in front of his desk. He carefully eyed her, taking in not only what she was dressed in, but her form. Not that he was saying she wasn't dressed nicely. Now that he looked at her clothing more carefully, he realized that this woman knew how to dress in a manner that only accentuated her body.

The first thing he noticed was the black leather jacket that she wore, something he'd never expected to see on her. It was such a rebellious article of clothing and Kagome didn't seem to be one to rebel, well to anyone other than him. It had a stand up collar that made her neck longer looking. It was open to reveal what she wore underneath, a simple black cotton scoop neck tee. And for pants, pink colored slacks, with black leather heels peeking out from underneath the hem. It did everything right for her body, for her body was ideal; smooth curves, a mature hour-glass shape, toned muscles.

"Good morning," she said with a warming smile. He liked seeing her hair down, and tussled. Sitting down in the chair directly across from him, she set down a tall, metallic, cylindrical shaped object on his desk. He eyed it suspiciously before looking at her, waiting for an explanation.

"I wanted to apologize for my not trusting you at our last appointment," Kagome began. Her eyes rested down on her lap, her fingers finding a piece of stray thread to fiddle with. "I have no reason to question you and your methods. You only want to help me."

This was a surprising shock. He remembered her banter, their near-Superman argument. But, she was apologizing about it. Most didn't. There was no reason in the world to apologize to a hanyou, despite his position and status. Inuyasha was a hanyou first, doctor second.

But her apology still didn't explain the strange object on his desk.

"I hope you like ramen," she quietly said. "I had some soup stock left over and well, I figured that maybe, perhaps, you'd like some. It's okay if you don't. Or if it tastes bad. Someone else around here might like it and you could pass it off to them."

Kagome just rambled out the words. She didn't know why she was so nervous. He was her doctor. She wasn't even in the examination room yet and the butterflies in her stomach were flapping around as if they were trying to avoid an oncoming storm.

"Uh, thanks. But, there really isn't a need to apologize," he said, trying to calm down her frazzled nerves. She wasn't afraid of him, but she was fearful about something. "And I like ramen," he quickly added.

Kagome grinned. "Oh good. Could you . . . when you do eat it, could you tell me how it tastes? I would like to have your opinion on it."

"Sure," he softly replied.

"Um, whenever you're ready," Kagome said, wanting to get the examination done as quickly as she could. However, it wasn't until now that she got a good look at what he was wearing and what it did to his looks. Underneath the white lab coat she hadn't seen him without was a deep, red colored buttoned shirt and a silky charcoal colored tied around his neck. The red made his eyes more vibrant, like two sparkling gold pendants. She licked her lips and darted her eyes away. She didn't want to be caught drooling.

"The nurse should be here soon."

"Wha . . . oh."

Did she sound . . . disappointed? No, he wasn't going to analyze it. "I have another appointment. I had you come here to give you the chance to ask any questions you might have."

Of course he had other appointments. Like she was his only patient. Kagome sat there silently, searching her gray matter for any questions or concerns she might have. There was one.

"I'm curious," she began, looking for the proper, mature way to ask the question without giggling or blushing too much. If she reacted in any other manner, he might find out. "It's obvious as to why a man having an, an orgasm is important to . . . to conception, but what about a woman?"

Inuyasha leaned back into his chair, lifting his right leg up so that it rested on his left. "Very."

"Why?"

"Well, simply put, when a female orgasms, the cervix, uh, the mouth of the uterus contracts. This causes the uterus to dip into the vagina. If the male has already ejaculated then there is a pool of sperm in the vagina that the uterus dips into. This contraction will draw semen into the cervix and uterus aiding the semen in its swim to the egg."

Kagome nodded as she listened to Inuyasha's explanation. It made sense. Maybe her inability to get pregnant was because she couldn't orgasm with Hojo. She had orgasms before, mainly . . . no, always through masturbation. A little something Hojo, or anyone else for that matter, didn't know about.

"And if the woman has multiple orgasms?"

Kagome had heard from Yuka about her multiple experiences. From the way she described it, it was intense and magical. Kagome would never admit that she may have been slightly jealous of her friends' abilities to get that much more from sex.

No one ever questioned her sex life. They all felt that Kagome and Hojo were the couple of couples, like something from a fairy tale. And because of that, they all believed that life in the bedroom was just as magical. But Kagome had no happily ever after when it came to sex. In fact, there wasn't much of anything to get all dreamy about.

Inuyasha smirked. "Icing on the cake. The more dipping, more semen that is drawn in, thus increasing the chances of pregnancy. But once is more than enough."

Kagome's only response was to nod until she could find her voice once again. "Uh, okay then. I was just curious."

"You already said that."

"Right. Well, thanks for explaining it to me. I think I understand."

"Any other questions?"

"No. No. Not now. I, uh . . . I can wait until all the results are in."

Before Inuyasha could say anymore, the door opened and Shiroi walked in, smiling at the patient and her boss. "Ready?" She asked as her eyes met with Kagome's.

Kagome nodded and stood up. She turned to Inuyasha and smiled.

He stood up, looking down at her. "Before you leave, talk to Saori about scheduling an appointment for both you and Hojo to attend. I'll have all of the tests results complied and we'll start on a course of treatments."

"Sure." Kagome turned and followed Shiroi out of his office to get her examination done.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

It wasn't more than ten minutes later and Kagome found herself walking out of the Izayoi Fertility Clinic dazed and depressed. She dragged her feet along the cement, hardly aware of the bustle of people rushing past her. The sounds of traffic, people talking, shouting, and business were fuzzy, almost inaudible.

What . . . what was wrong with her? Why could she not orgasm with Hojo? He was the man she loved. The man she was planning on spending the rest of her life with. The man who would be the father of the child they so desperately wanted. The both worked, had shelter, food. So what was keeping her from getting pregnant?

She was a young and healthy woman in a stable, loving relationship. She had friends, family and a job. And she figured herself to be a decent human being. She recycled, didn't drive, voted, volunteered and heck, she even served as a shrine priestess when she was younger.

Sure she could do more, but how much more? What did the gods require from her in order for her to be granted with a life growing in her womb? All she wanted was for them to tell her what about her life she needed to change. What sacrifice did they require?

Kagome knew that having a child wouldn't make her any more or any less of a woman. She had friends, female friends that swore off childhood and embraced their femininity by using their ability to make their own decisions about their lives. And then she had friends who always seemed to be in a perpetual state of pregnancy.

And where did she fit into her group of friends?

She wasn't married. She wasn't pregnant. The plans she had made in her life weren't happening to her at all. Was she going to end up as some loser? Compared to her friends, she already felt like one. Nothing in her life was going in a good direction. But, what really scared her was that she really didn't know which direction it was headed.

Kagome made it home and went straight to the oversized armchair that the phone sat next to. She placed her hand on it, taking a deep breath before picking it up. Quickly, her fingers dialed the number on their own.

"Hi, you've reached the Higurashi Shrine. No one is here at the moment to answer your call. Please leave your name, a call back number, and if you wish, a short message. We at the shrine wish you a pleasant day."

Once Kagome heard the beep of the machine, she began her message. "Hi mom, it's me. I, uh, I was wondering if you're free this weekend. I . . . I have a new soup for you to try. I think you'll like it. Anyway. Uh, call me back when you get this. I love you. Bye."

Kagome put the phone back. She noticed how eerily quiet it was in the apartment. Grabbing the blanket off the back, she wrapped herself in it. Curling her body up into a tight ball, she laid her head down against the back of the chair closing her eyes. Nothing could stop the flow of tears that erupted from her weary eyes.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Kagome!"

"In the kitchen," she hollered back when hearing Hojo's voice calling. He had just gotten home from work.

"Hey, smells good." He planted a quick peck on her cheek as she stirred whatever concoction she was making. He went to the fridge to find something to drink while he waited for dinner. "How did it go today?"

"Oh, it was nothing. Just another physical test." Kagome moved away from the stove and went over to Hojo. "They want us to both attend the next appointment. All the results will be shared, as well as the first treatment plan."

Hojo reached into the back pocket of his slacks and pulled out his PDA. "Did they say when all the results would be ready?"

"Friday, but . . . "

"Friday's good. After my meeting with the psychologist."

"Yeah, but . . . "

"But what?"

"I was thinking we should wait until next week."

"Why?" He didn't wait for her to answer. He walked up to her, embracing her tiny form. "Wouldn't you rather be starting treatments next week instead of waiting for results?"

"Of course," she blurted out, afraid to look at him. Afraid that he'd see the truth in her eyes. "I guess I'm just nervous."

"I know. So am I." He pushed her away so he could see her. He smiled back at her. "So, Chef Higurashi, what are you making tonight for dinner?"

Kagome sighed as Hojo brushed past her to the stove to check out the soup she made for both dinner and her homework assignment. There was just no arguing with Hojo. He was right. Why wait? Right? They both wanted this.

Putting on the best smile she could muster, Kagome walked up to the stove to explain her assignment to him. She normally got carried away when talking about her recipes, but this time, she didn't. Her explanation was quick and to the point, sounding more technical than anything. Cooking wasn't something technical, but a combination of technique and emotions.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Ah, Dr. Takahashi, nice of you to show up almost on time," an elderly man spoke cheerfully, trying to poke fun at the inu-hanyou.

"Keh," was his response as he took his normal seat in the room with the board of directors.

On Mondays, he would give the board of directors a copy of all active files for them to go through in preparation for the week's meetings. He wasn't the only one that was monitored by the board, other scientists and researchers, as well as accountants, public relations and other departments had files to be reviewed.

Because of this, there was a possibility that Kagome's file may have been overlooked. However, a small part of him hoped that they found it and denied it. It was the only way for him to find a reason not to see her anymore. It was cruel for her, but it was better than for him to suffer for the next couple of years she could seek treatment from him.

The board started with the other departments of the clinic. Hearing good news about progress made on research, an increase in profits and success with advertising, things moved very smoothly. It finally came time to current cases; it was Inuyasha's turn.

"I think we'll conclude here for today," the head of the directors coolly spoke. But his eyes were glued on Inuyasha.

_Fuck_, Inuyasha thought. He remained sitting still as the others filed out of the conference room. Leaning back in his chair, he now wished he had initially turned down the couple. And his excuse for helping them would surely get him suspended.

Once the doors closed, Inuyasha sat up to face his lynch mob: the board of directors. There were five of them, two scientists, an OB/GYN, and Re and a lawyer. They managed the clinic and kept it running smoothly. They were the last and final word on all matters.

"Dr. Takahashi." The elderly man who joked with him earlier spoke first. "We received your current, active cases. And you know what we found?" He lifted up a folder. "A backslash."

Inuyasha's darkened orbs glared at the elderly man. He decided not to say anything until they asked him a direct question. But he knew what the old man was talking about.

None of his files had a backslash. All files had one name on them, the last name, the family name, followed by a distinct case number. It was the filing system they had used when Inuyasha initially opened the clinic. It was clear, organized and it worked.

In one case, there was a backslash, a tiny single symbol that differentiated it from all others. Higurashi/Akitoki-60221023. It should only be Akitoki – 60221023. But, they weren't married. Her name wasn't legally his. So, Saori settled on writing out their file in this manner.

The lawyer plucked the file from the old man's hand and set it down in front of him. He folded his long, slender, well manicured fingers on top of the file. The lawyer took a long deep sigh that signaled his disappoint on the matter.

"You will discontinue any further treatment with this couple," he spoke calmly, yet cruelly.

"Now wait a fuckin' minute," his voice bellowed against the walls and windows. Jumping out of his seat, he leaned his clawed hands down on the table. His aura flared, but only those in the room could sense it.

"Sit down Inuyasha," an elderly woman spoke, her crackly voice was still firm in her old age. She was the OB/GYN, an expert in the field as well as a pioneer in understanding the similarities and differences in the females: human, youkai and hanyou.

Inuyasha quietly sat back down in his chair, keeping his keen glare on the lawyer. He had too much respect for the old woman. She believed in him when no one else did.

"This," she said, pulling the file away from the lawyer and holding it up. "It's a potential problem that we'd rather avoid now, rather than later, and in the courts."

The lawyer nodded as he agreed with the elder woman's assessment. Just because he was a lawyer, that didn't necessarily mean he would prefer to be in court, arguing. He got paid to avoid court, to protect the clinic and its employees.

"Fine," Inuyasha grumbled. "But, other than them not being married, are there any other problems?"

"Of course not," the lawyer answered quickly.

"I don't like telling them no." He said back, his voice softer, his aura subdued.

"We know that. However, this isn't always about them. There was a time when we'd be comfortable with your decision. But for reasons you are aware of, we can't."

"He works for Bio-Guchi," Inuyasha blurted it out as quickly as he could. He was in a panic. They told him no, but now he was fishing for any excuse to keep the case. _Damnit_, she wasn't even here and she was still causing him problems.

This silenced the board members. Leaning back in their chairs, they turned to one another, sharing whispers of words that Inuyasha couldn't make out because of the magic of the room.

He knew he had their attention. Hojo had his attention when he first said it to him. The board of directors was to hold the unbiased interests of the clinic. Hojo was a ticket to getting into a lucrative partnership with a premier drug company.

The old woman glanced over at Inuyasha. "What does Dr. Taijiya say about this?"

"She plans to talk to them about the marriage issue in depth. They may feel married because of the blessing of a Shinto priest."

Sango had sent her analysis of her first session with Kagome that night. It was what he did Saturday night and part of Sunday. So much for using the weekend to treat Kagome as just another patient and get her out of his head. Instead, he memorized the transcript, Sango's report and watched the video of the session. All of this was sort of a no-no, but in this case, he ignored that particular rule.

The old woman whispered something to the lawyer and he nodded. He looked to Inuyasha. "Is there proof of this?"

"How the hell should I know?" Inuyasha shot out, crossing his arms across the red fabric covering his chest.

"Blessings are normally recorded," the old woman said, recalling her knowledge of being a shrine priestess in her younger days, a role that lead her to helping women.

"Even if the one who blessed her is dead?" It pained him to watch her talk about that particular part of her life to Sango. It was difficult to lose family, no matter what kind of heritage one had.

"As long as the shrine stands."

"So, what do I do?"

"Obtains records of the blessing," the lawyer said. "We'll also write up a contract that protects us from any liability that they will be required to sign."

"Fine." Inuyasha stood up. "Anything else?"

"No, but we will watch this case carefully," the lawyer warned the doctor.

Inuyasha stormed out, saving his response. He really hated that lawyer. And if he started in with him, he was sure a physical altercation would follow. It was mature of him to just walk away.

Even if he could never be with Kagome in any way other than professional, at least, in that capacity, he could giver her something Hojo couldn't on his own.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**


	5. Chapter 5

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Five Confinement**

Hojo found Kagome happily talking to a woman in the waiting room as he made his way from his appointment with Sango. They were engaged in a good conversation for the other woman was smiling and nodding her head enthusiastically at Kagome. Kagome had a way with people. It was a characteristic about her that drew him to her back in high school. You just wanted to be her friend.

As soon as Hojo sat down, Kagome ended the conversation, opting to sit silently next to her man, eyes facing down, and her hands resting on her lap. Neither said anything to the other as they waited in silence.

"Kagome. Hojo," Saori's voice rang out. "Dr. Takahashi is ready to see you now."

Hojo took a hold of Kagome's hand. She glanced up at him and he flashed a quick smile before standing up, pulling her up with him. As they walked down the hallway, Kagome felt plowed over by an onslaught of emotions she was suddenly having difficulty controlling. Three words ran loud and clear above the mess in her head: _It's my fault_.

Hojo opened the door for her and she walked in, heading straight to the chair, sitting down in the one directly across from Inuyasha. She was too nervous to remember her manners and the like. It was hard enough to be here when she wasn't ready to hear what she's heard before. Her self-esteem, her self-worth had been shattered and glued back together so many times that she wasn't sure if she could bear the pain again. They couldn't put Humpty Dumpy back together, how was she any different?

"Good morning Dr. Takahashi," Hojo cheerfully greeted the hanyou physician as he sat down in the chair next to Kagome.

Inuyasha just grumbled something along the lines of _morning_. It was Friday. It was still morning and he had the longest day ahead of him. He opened up their file. Last night, he had spent many hours reviewing the results of all of the tests and worked on coming up with a course of treatment plans.

"Let's get started," Inuyasha began, keeping his eyes down on the file. He was afraid to look at her, to get trapped in her eyes. It was enough that her uneasiness, anxiety, fear and every other emotion she was feeling was starting to overload his senses. He was starting to wonder if they could even get through this meeting.

"Simply put, both of you are normal. We found no physical abnormalities in either of you that would prevent conception. The only concern I had was from the post-coital swab results. The sperm can penetrate and survive in the mucus of the cervix; however, there wasn't much semen there."

"But, we've done artificial insemination," Hojo reminded Inuyasha.

Kagome glanced to the side, staring at the plush carpet in the office. _It is my fault_, she thought, _I didn't, and I couldn't orgasm. Or, maybe it's my eggs. We did go through artificial insemination. Hojo's semen has been tested, but what about my eggs? Oh gods, I've got rotten eggs. I **am** the rotten egg_.

Inuyasha sensed a change in Kagome, from fear to utter despair. However, he wasn't going to pursue it here. She had an appointment with Sango later today and he'd make sure to tell Sango about the feelings he felt from her.

"I'm going to ignore all previous treatments Kagome's undergone and start fresh. This way, I can properly monitor everything."

Hojo only nodded. Kagome wasn't paying attention to a word said. How could she? Something was keeping her from getting pregnant and the best doctor in the world didn't even know why. Was she that hopeless?

"And we're going to start at the very beginning." Inuyasha pulled out a piece of paper he had prepared in the file and handed it to Hojo since he was the only one being responsive.

"Hojo, first, I recommend that you wear loose pants and switch to boxers if you don't already wear them. No bike riding, no horseback riding. You'll have to cancel all trips to the sauna and hot tub. I'm also recommending that you cease from any alcohol consumption."

Hojo just nodded again. He saw these recommendations listed on the piece of paper handed to him. After this, he would have to go boxer shopping. Never had he worm them, even when swimming, he preferred Speedos instead of swimming trunks.

"Next, we'll all work together to monitor Kagome's ovulation." At the mention of her name, Kagome looked up at Inuyasha. Her eyes met his and she then quickly pulled the look away. "There are three ways to do this. One is that you'll have to take your basal body temperature. Second, monitoring your cervical mucus. And lastly, there's an ovulation predictor kit. We'll supply you with a thermometer and a kit for your use."

Hojo just continued to nod along like he was a bopping head figurine on someone's car dash. Kagome didn't have to listen to this. She already knew what to do and how to do it. There was a calendar in the bathroom that she used to track her cycles for over the past two years. The calendar was full of marks and reminders, dates that indicated the best time for intercourse, dates never fulfilled.

_Damn_, she thought, _I'm more intimate with my calendar than with Hojo_.

"Lastly, I'm not going to tell you to, or order you to, but I'm going to encourage you to have more sex."

Kagome quickly turned her gaze to Inuyasha. He was _encouraging_ her to try to have more sex. Did he not understand that once should have been enough? It was with girls who didn't plan on having a baby. With girls that didn't even want children, those too young or those who were a victim of a sex crime. Once should be plenty.

It pained Inuyasha to suggest that, but he had to, as a professional. But that look on her face, the one she gave him, what did it mean? As much as he might have wanted to ask her about it, he couldn't, for his own sanity. It was enough to tell her to have more sex with another man. No, it was too much.

"It doesn't have to be every day, but every other day, every two days, whenever you can. And I also encourage you to try other positions; if that's something you're comfortable with. There's no evidence suggesting one position over another. Which positions actually work the best just depends on the individuals."

He wasn't going to ask them which positions they've tried. He didn't even want to know. His mind would make him see them in that position, only serving to drive him mad. But he did his part, let them do with it as they saw fit.

"Let's see. It seems that both of your diets and lifestyles are particularly healthy. I already ordered to take supplements Hojo, so Kagome, are you taking prenatal supplements?"

"Wha . . . uh, sorry. Prenatal pills? Yeah, for about two and a half years now." Kagome felt embarrassed that she had been caught spacing out. If her mother had her way, Kagome would've been on prenatal pills since she turned fifteen. Though, Kagome recommended them as a daily vitamin supplement for all women as part of an assignment for her nutrition class. They had everything in them.

"Good." He flashed her a quick smile, hoping to calm her down a bit. She smiled back, his smile working.

"Are there any questions?" Hojo and Kagome shared glances and gentle shakes of _no_. "Okay then. I think that about covers it for the both of you. You can pick up the supplies from Saori. We'll give it a week and have you come back in for another post-coital swab to make sure that it wasn't just a one time result fluke."

Hojo stood up and Kagome followed. "Thank you very much Dr. Takahashi,"

Hojo politely replied, giving a slight bow to the hanyou. Inuyasha didn't return the gesture. "Ready Kagome?"

"Oi, Kagome, can I speak to you privately?" Inuyasha blurted out, not quite ready to have her leave.

"Uh, sure. Hojo, why don't you get the stuff from Saori and I'll meet you by the elevators."

"Okay." Hojo then bounded out of the office.

Inuyasha got out of his chair and walked up to Kagome. He had to be near her, even if for a brief moment. And at least he had an excuse. An excuse made this gesture, his need less intrusive and less creepy.

"I wanted to thank you for the ramen. It was the best I've ever had."

All of Kagome's negative emotions melted away for that moment. Her eyes were lit by the soft smile that graced her full lips. "Really?" she asked excitedly.

"Keh, I wouldn't lie about food." He swelled with a certain pride he never felt before as he was the reason she was suddenly happy. And he hadn't helped give her a child yet.

Kagome blushed. She found herself nervous around him for all of the wrong reasons. He was exotic, crude, rough; everything Hojo was not. Perhaps it was because he was something different. Like buying a pair of _fuck me_ stilettos when one only wore loafers. There was excitement in something new and wild. That was Inuaysha.

"Well, I better, um, get . . . uh . . . going. Uh . . . um, he's waiting for me . . . "Kagome stumbled through her words, even forgetting Hojo's name.

Inuyasha took a step closer to her, trespassing into her space. Kagome looked up at him, never backing away. Her heart thundered in her chest, those pesky butterflies were all riled up again and Kagome found herself unable to breathe. His presence, his body, being so close to hers . . .

"I gotta go," she muttered as she somehow managed to escape from him. Kagome hurried to the elevators, panting not from the running, but from the oddly pleasant encounter with the exotic hanyou.

"You okay?" Hojo asked, concerned for her unexpected condition.

She nodded as her breathing slowed to a pace near normal. "Yeah. I just . . . I didn't want to keep you waiting long. I know you need to get back to work."

The elevator opened up and the couple entered. Hojo pressed the basement button taking them down to the parking garage. The ride down was quiet, only because Kagome chose not to talk. She didn't know what to say. She found she had nothing to say to Hojo.

Kagome walked with Hojo to his car. "Here," he said, handing her the white paper bag that had her fertility supplies nestled inside.

"Thanks."

"You're staying here?"

"Yeah, I have my appointment with Dr. Taijiya and it's easier if I just stick around."

"Alright. I'll see you at home later then." He flashed a quick smile as he climbed into his black Beamer, started it up and drove away.

Alone. Surrounded by mechanical monsters that had interfered with her life twice, taking away the most precious and loved men in her life.

The smells of gasoline and oil suffocated her, filling her nostrils and lungs, robbing her of clean fresh air. Kagome felt light headed and sick to her stomach. She spun around several times, confused, searching for an exit. Where was it?

She fled to the elevator as soon as she spotted it. Once the doors opened, she flung herself inside; pushing random buttons, praying the machine would lift her safely from that hell. Backing into the corner of the metallic box, her hands gripped the stainless steel handle bars, turning her knuckles white instantly. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down by taking several deep breaths.

The familiar ding followed by the opening of the doors alerted Kagome that she had reached a place that wasn't the basement. But she couldn't open her eyes, afraid of letting go of the bar, just in case she ended up right back there.

"Are ye all right child?"

Kagome opened one eye followed by the other to see an elderly woman with an eye patch standing in the door jam of the elevator.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was just . . . well . . . "

The old woman smiled. "It's all right. This place can be a bit daunting."

Kagome relaxed a bit at the kindness she heard in the old woman's voice. "Yes, it is." She loosened her hold on the bar. "I should be going. Sorry to have held you up."

"No worries. I'm not in any hurry. Are ye coming or going?"

"I'm . . . I'm going. Uh, appointment . . . upstairs . . . Takahashi . . . "she stopped when she mentioned his family name so informally.

"Ah, trying to have a child. I wish ye luck."

"Thank you. We'll see how it goes."

"Did ye just start treatments?"

"No yet. I just received the results from the initial round of tests."

"Aye. Inuyasha is a good doctor. Ye will be with child in no time."

Kagome smiled. "I hope so. I shouldn't be holding you up."

The woman waved her hand at the young girl. "Bah. Whoever or whatever it is of mind, it can wait."

"I'm Kagome. Higurashi Kagome."

_Higurashi_, the old woman thought. _That Higurashi_? "I know who ye are."

"Huh?"

"I am Kaede. I'm on the board of directors."

"Oh. I'm so sorry to have bothered you." Kagome quickly walked passed the woman, bowing several times.

"Nonsense. But I do hope we will have the pleasure of running into each other again. I hardly get to meet any of our patients."

"That would be wonderful. Nice meeting you Kaede."

"Aye, same here Kagome."

Kaede watched the young girl as she left as she left the clinic. Now she understood. And it was a shame as well. Kaede made her way into the elevator and let the machine take her back to work.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome sat in the waiting room quietly preparing herself for her appointment with Sango. She was here a whole half-hour early. After being late last week, she didn't want to be embarrassed and rude to her doctor like that again.

"Kagome."

Kagome stood up at the sound of her name. The receptionist was smiling at her. Kagome took a few steps forward, tightly clutching onto her purse.

"Dr. Taijiya will see you now."

Kagome nodded, her lips pursed tightly as she made her way down the hallway to Sango's office. The door was cracked open, inviting Kagome inside without any need to knock or to announce her arrival. Kagome made sure the door closed behind her, not wanting anyone to interrupt them.

"Good afternoon Kagome," Sango greeted her young patient.

Kagome bowed to the psychologist before quickly slamming herself into the chair she sat in last week. Sango checked all of her instruments, the videos, the audio and the timer. All were on and ready.

"So, you had an appointment this morning. How'd that go?" Sango began as she sat down in her chair across from Kagome.

"No surprises really. We're both healthy and normal except for the part where I can't get pregnant."

"Well, true. And which treatment did Dr. Takahashi suggest for you?"

Kagome felt a rush of heat flash through her body as the mention of her doctor's name. "Enhanced natural conception."

Sango chuckled. "Wow. I've . . . I've never hear it called that before. How do you feel about this enhanced method?"

"It won't work. I . . . I know I'm supposed to trust him, as he is my doctor, but, we've been trying it naturally for so long. How is this doctor any different? What sort of magical powers does he posses that no one else does?"

Sango sensed Kagome's frustration. And it was slightly amusing. Any other woman who started out on this treatment had blind faith in a magic they wanted to believe that Inuyasha had. No woman had challenged or questioned his methods before. Until Kagome. Sango was going to put this part in bold, capital letters: Patient Challenges Doctor.

"He doesn't. He's just . . . "Sango tried to find the right word. But she knew Inuyasha too well. "He's just meticulous."

"That may be, but, he better not be doing this to milk money out of me."

Now Sango had to really laugh. "Believe me, he doesn't need the money." Sango's laughter died when she saw Kagome staring out the window.

It was another beautiful mid-spring afternoon. Neither woman could remember the last time they had seen any evidence of a cloud. Crystal clear blue skies, a warm, blanketing sun and a cool breeze to keep the temperature comfortable, all of this was a stark contrast to the turbulent storm in Kagome's mind and grayish eyes.

"I was wondering, Kagome, if threw was anything you felt like you wanted to talk about." Sango opened it up for Kagome to choose what was bothering her the most. If not, Sango had issues to discuss with the girl, like marriage.

"Okay." There was something Kagome wanted to talk about. "So, you're a psychologist. Do you have a specialty?"

"Oh, you mean like a focus? Yes. Sex and relationships. Here, I help couples with infertility as well as women who are experiencing difficulties with their minds in a sexual manner."

This was good Kagome thought. But now she had to actually ask her question. It was so . . . private and . . . embarrassing. Actually, it wasn't that. Kagome just didn't think she would be the one to have to question the abilities, or inabilities, of her own body.

"Have you . . . and you don't have to answer this if you don't want to, but . . . um . . . have you ever had an orgasm?"

Sango was not expecting Kagome to ask about that. But the question alone stoked up vivid memories of her last sexual encounter. Damn him, curse him, and Kagome as well. Now she was going to sit here for the rest of the afternoon craving that man's shivering touch.

Sango looked blissful, fulfilled from what Kagome could tell from that tiny hint of a grin. "Well, that answers that," Kagome grumbled, slumping into the chair. _There really is something wrong with me_.

"Kagome, why do you ask such a thing?" Sango leaned forward.

Kagome looked up at Sango. "I guess I should start at the beginning."

That beginning was last night.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Once a month, if not more, Kagome and her friends from college would get together for dinner, drinks, and fun. They met at 'Curves Ahead', one of those always busy and noisy hot spots that have at least forty-five minute wait for those without reservations. But they didn't have to wait. They never did.

Three of the girls, Eri, Yuka and Ayumi, not only went to high school with Kagome, but college as well. There, they met Ayame, a wolf demoness that finished their tight-knit quintet. It was in their sophomore year in college that the five of them rented a small, yet cheap apartment. They lived their together until graduation, despite the protests of their boyfriends at the time.

The dinner ritual started out as a reason to keep some type of personal contact with each other. But, it always ended up as a reason to hear about the exploits of their romances and sex lives, at least for some of them.

Ayame was betrothed and mated to a powerful wolf demon. She was the friend of Kagome's that was perpetually pregnant. She was carrying her fourth child. Ayumi was also married and just announced the pregnancy of her second child. Yuka was planning on her first marriage, though it was her third engagement.

It was Eri that really kept the girls coming back each month. Eri was a trained anthropologist which explained some of her behavior. The rest couldn't be explained other than she was Eri and that was how she always was. She was the freest spirit of the group.

The other girls enjoyed living vicariously through Eri as she weaved into and out of the groups of outcasts and subcultures as she did what she called _hands-on research_. Of course, she never did indulge which theory of hers she was researching. But none of that scholastic nonsense mattered.

When the food had been served, Ayame, Ayumi, Yuka and Kagome briefly explained where they were at in their lives. Dinner was always a quick meal. It was during dessert with the conversation got sweet. Eri's life story was always reserved for the last part of the evening since hers took the longest to explain.

Eri fell into the pattern of dating a different man each month. Not just different, but men from varying subcultures. There was the very older man, the boy still in high school, the raver, the nudist, the bike messenger, a man who claimed to be a descendant of Dracula and several others. Eri was exploring each one sexually.

The college age waiter decked out in more muscles than the girls could count brought out the desserts. It didn't matter what they ordered, for it was all communal. Eri's eyes lingered on the waiter until he disappeared from her sight.

"He might be the flavor of next month," she said huskily as Ayame twitched her nose. Everyone else just giggled. If Eri did purse that particular guy, he was going to have the best month of his life.

"So," Yuka smirked as she sucked off some of the whip off her finger. "Eri, what's been happening in your life?"

Eri slyly smiled, keeping silent to build up some tension in the girls. "I have found the one."

The other girls were speechless. They exchanged confused and excited looks. Then they all directed their curious gazes back to Eri, who still had that sly smirk on her face. She took a casual sip of her drink, stalling the telling of her own story.

"God damn Eri, get on with it," Yuka cried out, unable to bear the suspense any longer.

"It's not marriage, is it?" Ayumi asked. As smart as she was, sometimes, she was utterly clueless.

"Oh nonononono. No. Me? Marriage? I don't think so Ayumi," Eri quickly shot down that idea. She had to laugh at the ridiculous notion of marriage. Her? Marriage? Antonyms.

"So, who is this man that's got you all tongue-tied?" Kagome asked, trying to get Eri to spill her guts. Normally she was a bit more forthcoming with her stories.

"Let's call him Ken," Eri stated.

"Why? Is that not his real name?" Ayumi inquired as she was near finishing her bowl of ice cream and was already pulling Yuka's dessert closer to her.

"Well, he may be somewhat of a celebrity," Eri quietly spoke not wanting to attract any more attention.

The girls giggled as they speculated over who this mysterious _Ken_ may truly be? Movie star? Singer? Politician? Oh, the possibilities. And the scandal. Was he married?

"But," she shouted to calm their chattering, "that is nothing. It's a blimp, a speck in my story. Who he is no way compares to what this guy can do."

That statement quieted the girls. Ayumi dug into Yuka's dessert for she was too busy waiting on Eri to notice the disappearance of her treat. Eri took another sip of her drink to give her mouth enough lubrication for the amount of talking she was going to do, as well as the added squeaks for emphasis.

"We met at this party. Immediate attraction. I played it cool, drew him towards me. He approached me, struck up a conversation, bought me a drink or two before giving me his number as well as asking for mine, which I found strange, but promising at the same time."

"Two days later he called and asked me out to dinner. It was on the third date that I ended up inviting him to my place. Well, as soon as the door clicked close, our hands were all over each other. Lips, tongue, clothes getting ripped off in a primal frenzy to just be au natural, to have skin on skin."

"So, we're in bed and I start thinking that he'll most likely want me to pleasure him orally before anything else were to happen since that is so, _so_ common."

Ayame and Yuka nodded at each other, agreeing with Eri's off hand comment.

"Nope. That night and every moment we spent with each other after that, it was all about me and my pleasure. Anything I wanted, whatever turned me on, he was an expert at it."

"That sounds nice," Ayumi commented as she dug into Eri's dessert.

Eri chuckled knowing that her friend was focused more on the food than the point in her story. "Let me put it this way. I had been orgasming, practically nonstop, for seventeen days."

This not only silenced the girls at Eri's table, but any other woman within an earshot of their table. Eri grinned proudly as she finished off her drink.

"Seventeen days?" Yuka asked, glanced down at the engagement ring perched and sparkling on her finger. "That's . . . wow . . . that's . . . "

"Impossible." Everyone looked over at Ayame as she finished off her giant plate of dessert and started picking at Kagome's. "Unless he was demon, or something."

"Nah, he was all human. I thought he might be a god, but nope," Eri sighed as she reminisced about him before moving on with her story. "But wait. During our time together, he never came."

"Bullshit. That's a fucking lie," Yuka hollered. "It's . . . it's impossible."

"He could've masturbated at home, or had some quick lay with some other woman, but never with me. His fingers, his tongue, it was so wonderfully magical. That entire time, my head was fuzzy, as if I were in some surreal fantasy, or on some really great drugs. All of my senses were on overload."

Kagome watched as the other girls nodded, somehow empathizing with Eri. This wasn't completely about masturbation. Eri was getting this pleasure from all directions. Not only that, but her friends had also received pleasure, a female orgasm by means other than through self-gratification.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Sighing, Kagome glanced up at Sango as she finished her story. She waited to see if Sango could provide her with some solution to her little problem. If she could orgasm once with Hojo, then maybe this whole baby-problem would be resolved.

"You've orgasmed before, so you somewhat understand what Eri was talking about."

"Yeah."

"And is that accomplished solely through masturbation?"

"Yes." Kagome opened her mouth only to shut it. She wasn't sure where she wanted to go with this. There were women out there who had difficulty achieving an orgasm from sex, and yet, they were still able to have children. So, that couldn't be the only problem wrong with her.

"Kagome, what do you fantasize about when you masturbate?"

Kagome furiously blushed a strange purple color at the question. She closed her eyes, conjuring up the images that normally strolled through her mind during those private moments she enjoyed while bathing. It was the only place where she could lock the door for that kind of freedom.

Tuesday was the last time she let the warm water, steam and the tenderness of her fingers ignite a part of her that only she had access to. What was it that brought her over the edge in the late evening?

She remembered closing her eyes, pretending that the warmth of the water that shrouded her smooth skin was the body heat of her lover. Her hands became his as they touched and teased her body, sliding down towards that one place that was desperate for a touch.

That mysterious lover had no face, no voice, just a nice body and talented hands. Tuesday marked a change in that fantasy. The man that had pleasure her assumed more real attributes. He had long silky hair that ticked her exposed skin, haunting golden eyes that could easily examine and bring forth her deepest desires and claws that hinted at something unknown and dangerous.

Oh no her mind screamed as her eyes flew open. That was . . . Dr. Takahashi. Even the ears made it into her fantasy. She groaned. She was so utterly doomed. Her head fell into her hands as she tried to wish away Tuesday all together.

"Kagome?" Sango questioned. She watched Kagome start to fall into her fantasy only to come scrambling out scared and confused. It was . . . something unexpected. "What is it?"

"I . . . "she didn't want to say it. She couldn't. It would betray Hojo, her feelings and the very foundations of her relationship. "If . . . if I were to fantasize about another person, is that . . . would that be considered cheating?"

"Hell no," Sango blurted out followed by a chuckled. "If that were the case, probably, oh, eighty, ninety percent of the adult population would be considered cheaters. Well, there are some exceptions. I hear that once some demons are mated, they only fantasize about their mates."

"So, I shouldn't feel . . . guilty about him not being . . . Hojo?"

"No. A lot of women in healthy, stable relationships fantasize about other men and/or women. Many objects of our fantasies tend to be famous. Those are the popular and safer choices."

"Safer?"

"Yes, celebrities, to us normal folk, are untouchable, unattainable, true fantasies. However, a friend, an acquaintance, people we know and see can become problematic."

"How so?"

"A person who can fixate on a fantasy of someone close to them could lose the distinction between the fantasy and reality. There's confusion. This leads to false feelings and emotions, unnatural attachments can form that are meaningless to the object of the fantasy. It's hard to let go of a fantasy that isn't real. This can lead to stalking, terrorizing. We do see this with celebrities, but it is more common with non-celebrities."

Kagome became frightened as she listened to Sango explain the dangers of attaching herself to a meaningless fantasy. But it was only one time. There shouldn't be anything to be afraid of. Kagome knew better than to become some kind of psycho stalker. He was just her doctor. Nothing more.

Kagome softly giggled. "Well, I guess I'm okay then," she joked to hide the truth from her psychologist.

Sango leaned back in her chair, uncertain of Kagome's behavior. She'd seen it several times from many of her patients, those that were scared to make a confession because of what they thought others would think about them. Sango was only here to help.

"Are you sure about that?"

Kagome was caught off guard. How dare she insinuate that she wasn't mature enough to let her one little fantasy take control of her life? She thought about other things, other male types. No way was Dr. Takahashi going to permeate into all aspects of her life.

"Yes, I am," she grinded out. Starting now, Dr. Takahashi was just her doctor. He wouldn't be a fantasy, nothing more than some insignificant person in her life.

"Have you ever fantasized about Hojo?"

"Hojo?" Kagome eyes darted around the room, focusing more on the décor of Sango's office than on trying to answer the question. It was a nice, the blue, green and cream colors, they were calming and relaxing colors. A stark contrast to Dr. Takahashi's office, to the dark earthy tones which only reminded her of behind lost in some forest.

"Kagome?"

"What? Oh, sorry. I think I used to. I can't really remember."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of. It happens. And to a lot more couples than you think."

That didn't make Kagome feel any better about her. She wanted to ask what it could possibly mean, but she didn't want to hear psycho babble about how this could be something about the death of her father or her insecurities about not being able to fulfill her grandmother's expectations. How was any of this going to help her have a child?

"Do you fantasize about Hojo in other aspects of your life? Marriage? Growing old together?" Sango had to bring up the marriage issue, an order from the board themselves. It wasn't much of an order because Sango had planned to discuss it with Kagome. It was just trying to slip the topic in without being so obvious.

"I did picture myself marrying Hojo. I still do, but he doesn't talk to me about it anymore, so I don't think about it as much as I used to."

"And growing old together?"

"I try not to do that. I . . . I don't want to picture a happy future with Hojo only to have his presence fade because of some unforeseen force that takes him away."

"But yet, you are able to fantasize about other things that may or may not happen."

"I . . . "but Kagome had nothing to say. She was scared to lose Hojo. He meant . . . he was her everything. He was the one that helped her through the death of Grandpa and Souta, her anchor when she felt that she couldn't make it another day without them. Without Hojo, she wouldn't be alive.

Sango handed Kagome another box of tissues. Kagome pulled a few out to wipe her tears away. "I love him so much," she sobbed out. "I can't lose him."

Sango got out of her chair and knelt down in front of Kagome, taking Kagome's hands in her own. She let Kagome cry this one out. There was still so much Kagome held in, she much she wouldn't talk about. Maybe this, her secret, was the cause of her infertility.

Considering how unclear and unsure Kagome was about things, Sango was tempted to halt treatments until Kagome worked through these obstacles she created in her head. But that might hurt Kagome more. It was obvious that she placed the blame of her inability to conceive solely on herself. Sango would never accept that. She believed each shared equal responsibility.

And a joint session with Hojo wouldn't work either. Kagome wasn't ready to confront him on the issues she held onto. Increasing the number of sessions wasn't a good idea either unless Kagome suggested it. Asking for more or longer sessions would give the impression that there was something seriously wrong with Kagome. And there wasn't. She just had problems like every other couple.

"Kagome," Sango broke the silence. "I want to let you know, to remind you, that you can say anything you want here. Don't be ashamed. These things that you're bottling up inside, it'll grow and gnaw at you and it's best to let it trickle out then to have an explosion of unexpected emotions."

Sango moved back to her chair, getting resituated in the soft material as this session wasn't over with yet. If Kagome decided to sit here in silence for the remainder of the session, then Sango would remain silent as well. When Kagome was ready to talk, Sango was already ready to listen.

Kagome took a deep breath, freeing herself from another series of sobbing. Never had she let loose in front of another. Normally, she hid in the bathroom, or a study room in the library at school. She oddly felt comfortable with Sango. Maybe, just maybe, she could open up to the psychologist.

_Beep_ . . . . _beep_

"Shit," Sango mumbled as she jumped up and grabbed the plastic white timer. "Sorry."

Kagome shook her head. "I have to agree with it. It's been a long day." Standing up, Kagome adjusted her purse strap along her shoulder. "I guess its next week then."

"Whenever it fits our schedules. I'm here for you if you need me."

"Your questions have . . . opened me up to some issues that I do need to talk about, but . . . I'm not ready to tackle them . . . yet."

"I understand. But you will have to. Better sooner than later."

"I know. I know." Kagome slipped on a little smile to flash at Sango. "Next week then."

"Have a good weekend."

"You too."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**


	6. Chapter 6

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Six The Invite**

Kagome sighed for what felt like the hundredth time that night. It was nearing eleven o'clock on a peaceful Saturday night. She was lying in their queen size bed next to Hojo. Glancing over at him, he sat there quietly, content, reading the latest issue of _Scientific American_ with great interest. Her eyes drifted away from his magazine to take in his appearance. Chestnut hair with eyes a shade darker to match, a light gray t-shirt and though she couldn't see them, most likely, dark blue flannel pajama bottoms. What she didn't know was whether or not he had switched to boxers.

In her hands, she held a book that Eri had given to her as a gift. All of the girls received a book from Eri a few months ago. It wasn't until now that Kagome had a nagging feeling that Eri might now something about her relationship with Hojo that she didn't even talk about. This book wasn't just for Kagome. It was more like Eri had given it to Kagome to pass along to Hojo.

Kagome had read the book. Several times in fact. It was a source for her bathroom-bathtub fantasies. Well, one of the sources. The book described in details the acts she'd never experienced before. Written out in explicit details were pleasures that she ached to experience herself.

But how to bring it up to Hojo?

"Kagome, is something wrong?"

"Uh, why do you ask?"

He smiled at her. "You're been staring at me for a while now."

"Oh well . . . "she nervously chuckled out. _Busted_. "I . . . I . . . I wanted to show you the book Eri gave to me."

Hojo closed his magazine, properly marking the page he was on, and placed it on his nightstand. "Was it this last Thursday?"

Kagome looked down at the glossy cover of the book. "No. Actually, it was a month ago, but . . . I just remembered it."

"What does she have you reading this time? It's not like that other one, is it?"

Kagome giggled at the look of disgust Hojo made. Eri's tastes in books were unique. Hojo couldn't finish the last book Eri had given to her. It was a story of a lesbian who lived as a man to explore the male culture. "No, it's . . . it's not like that at all," Kagome replied quietly as she now cradled the book against her chest. Timidly, she pulled it away and held it out for Hojo to take.

He did. Kagome watched him as his eyes bulged out at the sight of the title. He looked over at Kagome for a moment to get confirmation that this was a real title to a real book. Kagome nodded and was glad when he turned back to the book and opened it up. It was a step in the right direction, at least she thought it was.

He sat there, silently, reading the title page, then followed by the page with the tiny writing about the copyrights, dates, and publishing cities. Next he read over the chapter of contents page only to shift his position on the bed.

Silence continued to dominate as the only sound come from the crinkle of pages turning and the breathing of the bodies, Hojo's now quicker than Kagome's. His eyes skimmed the crude, blunt words the authoress had typed out. The next page introduced something unexpected.

Hojo jerked forward, a deep blush flooding through his exposed skin and the tiniest beads of sweat crowned his forehead. He tossed the book away from him like it had scorched his hands. "Oh gods . . . "

"Hojo?" Kagome called out as he bolted out of the bed to find refuge in the bathroom. Kagome tore away the covers of the bed and hurried after him. "Hojo, are you okay?" she called out from the other side of the locked bathroom door. Wrapping her arms around her, Kagome leaned up against the door, placing her ear against the sleek wood, straining to hear something, anything. "Hojo."

"I'm fine," he called out weakly.

"What's wrong? Was it . . . dinner? It was a bit spicy. There's some antacid in the medicine cabinet." She was met with more silence while waiting to hear something.

"I . . . I'm going to take a shower. You can go ahead and go to sleep. No need to wait for me, okay?"

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Okay, yeah. Well, goodnight then."

"Goodnight."

Kagome dragged herself back into the bedroom, slowly crawling into the bed. Grabbing the book, she took another hard glance at it, sighing disappointedly at it. It held so much promise. But now . . . it was gone. Tonight, sex was most definitely out of the question. And so was the chance to try something new, something that the book could give to the both of them. All gone.

She opened the drawer to her nightstand where the brother to her book was stored. Two books, written by the same authoress, designed to open up, explain and explore another part of the sexual experience, orally.

Kagome saw it as the opportunity to bring the two of them intimately closer. The book talked about the love and trust that couples instilled in oral sex. Not to mention that all of her friends believed that oral sex should be a relationship standard, unless both partners were against it.

In the dark, Kagome wondered about that. If her relationship with Hojo lacked oral sex, her inability to orgasm by him or that she no longer fantasized about him during those private, precious moments alone in the bathroom . . . what did that really say about their relationship? What did it say about him? About her . . . ?

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Inuyasha's golden eyes watched as Sango walked into the café after pushing back their usual Saturday lunch to late Sunday afternoon. That wasn't what bothered him about this. He didn't care when the lunches happened. What did bother him was that these lunches were private. A casual place and time for them to openly talk about work. But it's no longer private when Sango brought a friend.

"Hey," Sango said sitting down, her friend helping her into her chair before sitting down next to her.

Inuyasha glared at Sango's uninvited guest, almost growling. "What the hell Sango."

Sango blushed while she nervously giggled at the enraged hanyou. "Sorry," she gushed. "It couldn't be avoided. Besides," she glanced over at her friend, "he's . . . "

"A fuckin' prevent," Inuyasha finished correctly for her.

"Inuyasha, I must protest to your slander," Miroku spoke lightly with a coy smile on his face.

"Shut it Miroku. Sango, we can't work with him here."

"Why not? He's bound by the same privacy laws of his profession as well as the clinic. And sadly, with his assumed expertise, he might help on a particular matter."

"Him? Help? Keh! I fuckin' doubt that. We both know him."

"Sadly, all too well," Sango retorted to illicit a rather cute pout from Miroku. "Another reason why I brought him."

Inuyasha just shook his head. "Whatever." He pulled out the files that they were to work on this week, but Sango stopped him, shaking her head. "What?"

Sango pulled out the _backslashed_ file. "Everything else is fine; it's this one that I'm struggling with."

"And you called Miroku to help you, us?"

"Well, no. It's not exactly like that," Sango quickly replied. Inuyasha just shrugged. He knew about their relationship. What Sango wouldn't say was that after Kagome brought up the topic of female orgasms, Sango felt the need to get some from the only man that she knew who was very accomplished in that field.

Inuyasha shook his head. Sango and Miroku were open, but exclusive at the same time. They were both afraid that a real relationship would hurt them at work. What they wouldn't, or perhaps, couldn't confess to each other was that they were the only ones in the lives, at least sexually. While he, on the other hand, mostly his right hand, was alone.

The waitress stopped by to take their orders before they got started with the matter at hand. Inuyasha had noticed that Sango only brought the one file with her, no laptop, no ipod, nothing. It was strange for her to be so unprepared, unless she was too distracted by Miroku.

"So, Sango dear, to what matter must you employ my expertise?"

Both Inuyasha and Sango rolled their eyes at his normal, yet over-usage of the polite language. It wooed women, impressed men enough to make them jealous, but to those that knew him, it was just sill, and at the same time, it was just Miroku being Miroku.

"It's Kagome and Hojo. I . . . I'm at a loss of words for what to tell those two." Sango opened the file, pulling out the transcripts to their latest sessions.

"What is the problem?" Miroku asked as he didn't really know the whole story other than that Kagome was the _fuckable girl with the great legs_ that was a patient of Inuyasha's, a patient that affected his hanyou friend like no other.

"Well, they are a wholly committed, in love, unmarried couple trying to have a child. Both are healthy, leading me to believe that the problem is psychological and not physiological."

Miroku took a hold of Sango's hand, his thumb feathering her knuckles. "I love hearing you say tongue-twisting words." He waggled his eyebrows at her, hoping she got the suggestive tone of his voice, and the true intent of his words.

"Miroku." She shot him a glare that forced him to gulp, nod his head and pull his hand away quickly in fear that he might lose it. "Serious here."

"So, what's the problem?" Inuyasha asked.

"I think this is just me and not the professional part, but I think that there's something wrong with Hojo."

"Hojo? Straight-laced, good guy, fuckin' prince asshole charming Hojo?" Inuyasha found Hojo to be ordinary and quite frankly, boring. He was a cavity.

"Yeah, He's a gentleman's gentleman that is the opposite kind of gentlemen's gentleman that Miroku is." When she saw only blank faces staring at her, she knew she had to elaborate for the slower thinkers. "Miroku is a gentleman to seduce women for the sole purpose of flirting and hopefully sex."

Both Miroku and Inuyasha nodded in agreement to her analysis. Sango continued. "Hojo is the sweet, polite, well-trained man with manners that I thought had died out years ago. He's a fairy tale myth."

"Wait," Miroku interjected. "This might be the same guy who thanked the nurse for stimulating his prostate for a semen sample." He paused when he was met with odd looks. "What? It's a rumor I heard."

"Something like that," Sango commented with a slight look of disgust on her face. The waitress returned with their orders, giving the group enough time to shove Miroku's tiny tale into the recycle bin of their mind so they could eat their meal without being disgusted.

"So, what the fuck is the problem? Kagome's found a rare specimen. From what I understand, women would kill to have that sort of stud on their arms," Inuyasha blasted through pieces of the steak he chewed on.

"Kagome loves him, deeply, but I think he's . . . she's not happy." Sango stared at her food, but put the morsel of food on her fork back down on her plate. "Let me try and explain it from how I see it and then you two may put in your two-cents."

"So, sessions with Hojo are polite, straight and boring. He doesn't struggle with any of the questions, which he has tidy answers to. But his answers are shallow, short and in descript." Sango pushed Hojo's transcript out for Miroku to glance over.

_'How is your sex life with Kagome?'_

'_Good.'_

'_Is she satisfied?'_

'_Yes.'_

'_Have you ever tried other positions?'_

'_No.'_

'_Why not?'_

'_Because the way we engage in intercourse is satisfactory and loving for the both of us.'_

'_Are you sure about that?'_

'_Yes.'_

"What the . . . Sango . . . dear . . . _this_ has to be made up," Miroku contested, crunching his soft features into tiny wrinkles of mostly disgust.

"Nope. I asked him that because Inuyasha told me that he was going to tell them to try other positions. And oddly, Kagome asked me about female orgasms." Sango hid Kagome's transcript in the safety of the file that Sango clutched onto. She was reluctant to let anyone, especially Inuyasha, read it.

Miroku handed Hojo's transcript back to Sango. "Sango-dear, the problem is obvious. Hojo's a prude. He's a traditional fundamentalist that believes sex is a one position, mono-purposed act - baby-making. I'm no urologist, but I've heard from them that the norm for human males to climax is somewhere around the three minute mark. Now, Sango-dear, how long does it take a human female to climax? Hence, Kagome's need to learn about something she has never received from this poor excuse of a male. Lucky for most women, I am not normal."

Miroku continued with his little ramble. "Sex, good, toe-curling sex, can exist without commitment, without love. Love only makes it better, the roll the eyes into the back of the head _and_ toe-curling, operatic screaming, body-numbing, drenching in sweet sweat kind. This couple needs sex therapy as well. If not, this Hojo character needs a good smack across the back of the head for depriving a luscious creature like Kagome of a coma-inducing orgasm. Aren't I right, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha choked on his bite of food as he felt both Miroku and Sango looking at him, as if they were waiting for him to actively respond. He did tell Kagome that a female orgasm was important for conception, but steered clear from how it was essential to relationships. That was Sango's job. He might have forgotten to explain that it doesn't matter how a woman achieves an orgasm after the semen as been ejaculated into her body. Still, that wasn't the point here.

"Keh," was his only response. It was the safe way out for him. Inuyasha had to tread carefully around any mention of Kagome. That incident in his office still weighted heavily on his mind, and caused him a sore wrist. What actually happened? What did it meant? It was best just to drop it and forget about it completely.

"So, Kagome is deprived because of Hojo's single-mindedness and I need to get them into a joint session to work on sex. Gee, great. That sounds fun," Sango sighed as she stuffed the transcript into his file. "However, that's not what I'm supposed to do. I help couples deal with issues of infertility, not a lackluster love life, but . . . it could very well be the hang-up that's preventing them from getting pregnant."

Sango picked up a fry and thoughtfully munched on it. "It's frustrating. I don't know . . . the best way to help them"

"Sango, Hojo cannot be helped." Inuyasha and Sango both needed an explanation, so Miroku continued. "He's like some of the women who visit me. They see sex as something dirty, unfortunate and even, Buddha forbid, a chore. I've heard numerous complaints, women asking me, begging me to create some medical excuse that allows them to avoid sex. No matter what I say, short of agreeing with them, will change their minds. It's a moot point. All you can do is recommend advice to them."

"And what if Kagome were to confront him on the matter?"

"Oh, sure, he'll promise her that they'll work on it, but by then, she'll be pregnant and then sex will be out of the question for the next eighteen years."

"That fuckin' sucks," Inuyasha muttered to himself.

"You're one to talk, Dr. Takahashi."

Inuyasha growled at Miroku, but kept his mouth shut. They weren't going to sit here and drag him into that conversation again.

"So, my options are to get Hojo to open up to other possibilities of sex to please Kagome, which you say is impossible, or do the one that I haven't suggested since my post-doc."

"Which is?" Inuyasha asked. They all didn't start out at the same clinic. Sango worked for another clinic, a straight psychological one, giving advice to others about relationships and sex.

"Hojo maybe, and I say maybe because it's just my hunch, uh, woman's intuition, but he's cheating Kagome out of a fulfilling relationship. Granted, I'm not saying that all relationships need to be crazy with sex, but the want or un-want of it needs to be equal. I feel from Kagome that she sees her friends having sex lives that she doesn't have, but wants to have, and that the only way for her to get that satisfaction is from someone else."

Inuyasha turned away from his friends. Miroku had that dumb smirk on his face which was a clear signal that Sango should recommend him for that position, and any other position Kagome wants to try. But Sango put him in a dangerous situation. He was attracted to Kagome and because of that, he was more than willing to help her out. However, he was her doctor. She didn't seem the type to have no-strings attached sex to get some jollies. And if he were to start anything with Kagome, he was afraid he would never be able to stop.

Thinking about someone like her with Hojo was enough, but to have Sango suggest a stranger was enough to set him off. He's also like to smack Miroku for that suggestive grin.

"You're buying lunch asshole," he blurted out, pointing a clawed finger at his friend.

"Inuyasha, come on. That's . . . "

"Fair," Sango finished the sentence correctly for him.

"But you invited me," Miroku protested to the woman knowing the argument with Inuyasha was already finished. She glared hard at him. He should've known that it was finished with Sango as well. "Fine. Fine."

"So . . . are you not the right people to ask about this?" Sango asked. It seed seem strange for a trained psychologist to seek advice from others. But she didn't have all of the answers. That was impossible. She was only seeking advice, not the right answer. As if there could be one.

Miroku slid his empty plate away form him. "I've shared everything I can on the matter mostly because I came into this from a different point of view. If Kagome loves this Hojo enough, then she may accept her horrible plight in life – to have three minute sex once, maybe twice a month only a couple of months for a few years. And with him being a fundamental prude, he accepts this as the natural way, wholeheartedly. He is and will always be resistant to change."

Sango turned to Inuyasha. He hadn't weight much into the matter and as the RE, he needed to have some say in this. Inuyasha didn't know what to say though. He had no advice, no expertise to share. Damn, he should've made some 'married couples only' rule. Or at least the board should have. But even that might not have solved their problem.

"The problem is psychological, right?" Inuyasha asked after getting lost in Miroku's lengthy spewing. Sango nodded. "And she ain't going to get pregnant or is going to have major difficulties until she fixes her problem. That's what you're saying?" Another nod from Sango.

"She loves him? Is committed? Wants to bear his child?" Nods to all of questions. Inuyasha just shrugged his shoulders, leaning back somewhat comfortably into the chair. "Then what can I say? It's your job to work their brains. I work the other parts. And fuck, I told you to talk marriage. The board is going to turn them down soon if marriage is something they don't consider. Maybe marriage will solve this shitty mess."

"You want her married so she's completely off limits, don't you?" Miroku inquired. Miroku knew of some of Inuyasha's better looking clients and they were all married, warding off horny, needy demons and humans as well. For demons, as well as hanyous, an unbonded woman could be challenged.

Inuyasha could challenge Hojo for Kagome and it would be legal in the forum of demon law. The board of directors wouldn't like it, Hojo and/or Kagome might not like it and the public backlash would close the clinic down, despite its reputation, despite the thousands of couples who've benefited from its work. It was a huge risk, one that Inuyasha was wrangling with.

Miroku raised his hand up. "Don't answer. It wasn't my place to ask. But I am curious as to why you would continue to torture yourself over a woman you can't have when there are plenty of others that are highly available?"

Inuyasha hated Miroku's dead on conclusions and his Buddha-given ability to ask the questions he was trying really, really hard to avoid. Sango would only tell him that what he was doing was not only hurting himself, but he might end up hurting Kagome, something that he didn't want to do, ever.

Sango leaned back in her chair. This was now no long an issue between just Hojo and Kagome, but Inuyasha was somehow involved, as well as the board of directors. And even Miroku if she so inclined. Miroku's question about Kagome's marital status was more necessary than the two males may have realized. But something was keeping Kagome from marriage and she was no closer to figuring it out.

"I give up. I've got a week to look into this some more. Any appointments with them this week Inuyasha?" He shook his head no. "Well, then, that's good. Let's hope they'll try enhanced natural conception at least once before Friday?"

Inuyasha took this as his cue to leave. It was uncomfortable for him to sit there and think up of ways to help Kagome's relationship when he just didn't want to. He hadn't had much contact with the female and that was still enough to leave him in a bewildering trance. She tried to argue with him, first patient ever. That counted for something.

"Make sure he pays," Inuyasha half-heartedly barked at the trying to always-look-pure-and-innocent Miroku. Sango nodded, elbowing the man to pull out his wallet. Inuyasha left Miroku using all of his tactics to get back into her good graces. This weekend still had a few hours left in it.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome dragged herself into the apartment she shared with Hojo after a long day of hors d'oeuvres, sashimi and matching drinks to meals; she was looking forward to a hot meal and a hot bath. At this point, the order didn't matter.

Kicking off her shoes, Kagome dropped her coat, keys and yellow backpack on the floor in the entrance way. "Hojo, I'm home," she called out her own faint echoed was her reply. "Hojo?"

She walked into the kitchen to find it dark, cold and clean; easy signs that pointed to the fact that Hojo wasn't here. Her shoulders slumped at the thought of being alone tonight. A piece of paper with Hojo's neat writing caught her attention.

_Kagome,_

_All I can say is that something requires _

_my attention tonight. We had a _

_technical problem and I'm unable_

_to return to you until it is corrected._

_Hojo_

Kagome pulled the note away from the magnet that held onto it. Crumbling the paper up, she tossed it into the garbage. How . . . how were they going to work on having a child if he wasn't here? She couldn't do it alone. She knew for sure she wasn't a hermaphrodite.

Frustrated, she left to the one place that offered her some solace, and the promise of comfort. Lucky for her, such a place was open twenty-four hours a day.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

The doors slid open with a very pronounced whoosh, noisily welcoming the raven-haired woman with all that it had. It was fresh, clean and all readily available. She only had to pick and then choose what her heart desired. There was no one here to stop her, to tell her no, to keep her away from what she wanted and needed. This was the perfect place for her.

Pulling out the much needed metal contraption, she stood still, as she decided where to begin: left or right. No, it was an easy choice. Always left. Always. Something she always thought about everything time she entered the building, but she could never change her answer.

Left was always a good choice. Here, she was greeted by the fruit of the earth. They came in all colors, flavors and shapes. Hover, since Kagome didn't have a car, she could only pick what she needed or wanted at the very moment.

She picked up the oblong shaped fruit. Watermelon. First pick of the season by the looks of it. It was small. But that was good. It was enough for her and Hojo to enjoy on one of these cool spring nights. She placed it in the cart, deciding that is was the only fruit to buy tonight.

Kagome made it through the produce and vegetable section before going down each aisle. She had all night as Tuesdays were her day off to grade papers and work on her capstone portfolio. Going to the grocery store was a part of her research. Buying good to create edible masterpieces that might one day be shared with others. That was a long time away, more of a foggy dream then anything set in cement.

Kagome knew that a child would put her plans on the back burner. It was obvious that she had a very old-fashioned relationship with Hojo. He respected her decision to get the education she wanted, but once a child was born to them, it was stay-at-home mom for her. Hojo made enough for him to be the sole breadwinner.

On one level, she was okay with that. The idea of having someone take care of all of her needs was comforting. But, what would happen once the child went to school? What would she do with her free time? Another child? Perhaps a chance at what she would like to really do with her life.

Walking down the canned goods aisle, Kagome surveyed the varied and many options. Living in a world where demons, humans and everything in between cohabitated with each other, food choices were almost unlimited. That for her meant more to work with. While she thought that a majority of the demon was disgusting, some of it wasn't so bad.

That which wasn't so bad was in a canned form, in this aisle, far above her reach. She stretched as much as she could, but it was of no use. Not all demons were this tall, were they, she thought. It just didn't seem fair.

Her eyes then caught a hand reaching to grab at the can she was aiming for.

Beaming, she softly spoke, "Oh thank you . . . "her voice drowned out as the can was not offered to her. She couldn't believe how rude this demon was. It had to have known that she was making a fool of herself trying to get herself a can.

"Excuse me," she grilled out loudly.

The demon turned to look at her as it snapped back at her. "What?"

"Dr. Takahashi . . . "she whispered his name even in her new found state of shock. Oh, this was no time to see this guy.

"What?" Inuyasha asked gain, redirecting her back to her snooty little 'excuse me'.

"I . . . I . . . "she stuttered as she felt his golden orbs burrowing into her. Shaking her head, she turned back to the matter at hand. Taking in a deep breath, she crouched down before spring up, her arms shot straight out and her fingers flexed around one of the cans. Upon landing, she tossed the can into her cart, turned and pushed it in the direction that was away from him.

"Oi," he called after her. She was ignoring him and trying her damnedest to get away from him as well. "Oi, I'm talking to you."

Kagome took a deep breath, considering for a moment to stop. But she couldn't. Sango had warned her. Kagome was fully aware of it, of what could happen. Seeing him like this, so casually, it wouldn't help her to replace him with Hojo in her fantasies.

Yet, it already was. Damn him for . . . for . . . for being dressed like. . . that. His silver hair, normally braided back was loose and wild, flowing freely. Those adorable ears were perky and attentive. And his clothing, something that should've been made illegal on him. His larger muscles rippled underneath a worn black t-shirt and loose fitting jeans hung off his hips.

She would to end the trip to her sanctuary for she was no longer safe here. Just seeing him here, now, like that, was enough to ruin her resolve. She loved Hojo. That was the mantra she put on loop in her head as she did her best to leave the doctor behind.

Inuyasha forgot about shopping for food and easily focused on Kagome. She had no right to be rude to him and then go about ignoring him. "Hey!" he called out. Kagome continued to ignore him, whipping her cart around, and doing her best to lose herself in the candy aisle. "Oi, wench, look at me."

Kagome's eyes went wide at the term he used to get her attention. Inuyasha smirked in satisfaction at finally being able to get her attention. It had work. Now, he had to deal with the aftermath of her wrath. At least she might talk to him now.

"What did you say?" Her body was tense from the anger that was boiling in her blood. No one had ever called her such an undignified term. And this was her doctor of all people.

He walked up, standing close to her, that same as in his office, letting his height alone show her his dominance. Bust she wouldn't back down.

"How dare you!" she cried out, poking him in his hard chest. "How . . . "she lost the words she wished to speak as her frustrations completely overloaded her mind. It was better to just walk away. Leaving her cart in the aisle, she pushed Inuyasha from her to maker her hasty escape.

"No," he said, his voice love. He held onto one of her wrists and his eyes locked with hers. He watched as her eyes stormed with the turbulence of her emotions, her pupils shrinking and enlarging with the changes; shocked at what he had done, the anger from earlier and something he couldn't quite pin down.

"Let me go," she commanded through her clenched teeth.

"Not until you act civilly around me."

"Me?" she questioned in disbelief. "What about you?"

"This is about a can of . . . "Inuyasha looked back into his basket, reaching for the can he had grabbed earlier and twisting it around until he could read the paper label. ". . . youkai mushrooms." He glanced up at her. "You actually eat these?"

Kagome pulled her wrist out of his grasp. "I happen to like them. They have a distinct exotic flavor and are priced decently," she spoke sharply. Turning back to her cart, Kagome settled for quickly finishing her shopping. There was no need to take her time and read labels, this night was already ruined.

Inuyasha was ready to just let her go when the smell of defeat and . . . _ah shit_. He groaned. Of all of the things she could've done, it had to be that. Not only that, but because of the attraction he had to her, it affected him just a bit deeper.

He ran up to her, but stopped afraid of her lashing out of him. "Hey, I'm . . . I didn't mean to. I'll uh, I'll make it up to you. Yeah, I can do that. So please, just . . . just don't cry."

He watched as Kagome brought her sleeved arm up to her face to wipe at her eyes. She turned towards him, but kept her face hidden from him. She'd gone and almost lost it in a grocery store.

"Are you going to add those mushrooms to that ramen?"

"Huh." He looked down in his basket. Several packages of instant ramen, the can of youkai mushrooms and a package of _nori_ were what he had found so far. "Oh yeah. Dinner."

Kagome quickly snatched the basket from his hands and set it in her cart. This just wouldn't do. She looked over at him, smiling. "Come on. Let's get you something good to eat."

He kept quiet, opting to nod and follow her instead. Kagome headed to the meat section. After searching through what was left from the day, she found a package of thinly sliced pork. She continued to scan the meat section for something for herself. After finding selections she was satisfied with, Kagome dragged a dazed hanyou back to the produce section.

Reaching into her purse, she pulled out a piece of blank paper and a pen. She scribbled out some simple instructions for him to follow and handed the paper to him, along with his basket. "So, follow these."

He took the slip of paper and looked at it. It was simple enough for him to follow. "Uh, thanks."

"I'd invite you over, but it's late . . . "Kagome stopped herself from saying too much. However, her face brightened when she was zapped with the oddest idea. "How would you like to come over for dinner Friday night?"

"Wha . . . "

"Oh, unless you have other plans."

"No, no . . . it's not that."

"Please, think about it. I'd like to invite Sango as well. It'd be a chance for me to thank you and . . . well, I like to cook for others."

Inuyasha nodded his head. "Let me, uh, check my schedule."

It hit her hard. He could be married, or at least had a girlfriend. Just chalk that up in the 'another awkward moment' in her life section. Here stood an attractive and successful doctor. Who wouldn't want to be attached to that?

"Oh sorry for intruding," she quickly added.

Inuyasha just shrugged his shoulders. "Nah, I just have to make sure there isn't a conference or something I'm supposed to attend."

So, he wasn't in a relationship? Kagome groaned inwardly. A woman in a relationship asking a man not in one over to her house for dinner was strange. She thanked the gods that he was her doctor.

"Okay then." Kagome picked up her bags of groceries. "I'll call your office Thursday to confirm."

"Sure."

"Goodnight then Dr. Takahashi."

"Night Kagome." He watched her walk out, alone. Instincts roared to life, ordering him to follow her, to protect her as she went out into the night alone. Without a ring, a mark, a mixed scent, anything . . . she was open to any predator.

He took several deep breaths to quell his youkai. Kagome was in a relationship, supposedly spiritually bound to another. He had to recognize it and his human half partially honored it. If he didn't, he would be the one she would have to fear at night.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**


	7. Chapter 7

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Seven Appetizers**

"Hey!" Kagome greeted her love the moment the door sprung open with his arrival into their home.

"Kagome," he happily spoke her name, opening his arms up to her. Kagome closed her eyes as his arms embraced her tightly, relishing in the contact of the hug. "I missed you." He dropped his coat, keys and other items from work right there on the floor, only to worry about them later. He lifted up his foot to kick close the door to give them privacy from nosy neighbors.

"I missed you too," she breathed out. She tilted her head back to look at him only instead to receive a very deep, mind-numbing kiss. Oh yes, he did miss her. Just as much as she missed him. "How was work?" she fumbled out as she caught her breath and her thoughts before they flittered off.

Relaxing his hold on her, he shrugged his shoulders. "The usual. And you?"

Kagome giggled as she laid her head against his chest, listening to his strong heartbeat thunder in her ears. "The usual." Taking a firm grip of his hand, she pulled him into the dining room where dinner was ready and waiting.

"Smells good," he said as he sat her down in her chair, being polite to her in the comfort of their home. Tipping her head back, he gave her a simple kiss. Just because.

"What is it?" he asked as he sat down in the chair next to hers.

"What is it?" she questioned him mockingly. But the smile on both their faces gave each other away. "It's lasagna."

He inhaled the smell of the saucy concoction, the smells of different flavored cheeses and meat sandwiched tightly in large noodles teased his senses. "I like it."

She laughed at him as she playfully slapped his arm. "You haven't even tried it yet." She scooped out a generous portion for him and slopped it onto his plate. She served herself a smaller portion and placed the spatula back in the lasagna pan. There was also garlic bread and salad to accompany the Italian dish.

"Itadakimasu," they sang out in unison. Most of dinner included Kagome talking about her day. He stayed silent to listen to her and to eat, nodding or shaking his head when asked about something. There was plenty of time to talk about his day. He was more interested in hers anyway.

Once finished, together they cleaned up the dishes before retiring to the living room. Sitting on the couch, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they watched the sun dip into the buildings. They sat there quietly, taking in the last few moments of the sunset.

Perhaps it was the serene moment, the company, or a combination of a lot of little things that ignited a need in each of them; a need for each other.

Like a clash of water splashing against the rocky shore, Kagome flung herself onto his lap, coiling her arms around his broad shoulders, entrapping his waists with her thighs and silencing any protests he might have had with a bruising kiss.

He wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, grinding his hips deeply into her core, letting her know that his need for her was there. Their tongues danced and tasted each other as the crisp spring evening air warmed around them. His hands roamed up her back, gripping onto her neck, giving him control of any and all of the kissing.

Kagome gasped as she found herself lifted up and flipped around, her back up against his chest, her fleshy bottom sitting on his hard, swollen member. She leaned back into him, her head cradled in the crook at the top of his shoulder, as his hand snaked up underneath her shirt to find her lace-covered breasts already sensitive, but aching for his touch.

His lips tongue and tiny nips marked her exposed throat and shoulder as his fingers pinched and pulled at her needy nipples. She breathed heavily and in quick short bursts as her body tried to keep up with the different sensations he bestowed upon her milky skin.

Down past her flat stomach, he found the button to her jeans. Unsnapped and the zipper down, he slipped his hand down into her underwear to find other parts of her begging him for attention as well, crying to be played with.

"Ooh," she mewled as he found her bud, the one that only increased the sensitivity of her skin, the one that really started the buildup in pleasure deep in the pit of her stomach. Her back arched out, jutting her pert breasts into the one hand giving them 'kneady' attention.

Any stable, direction connection to the real world was disconnected as flashes of colors and intense physical feelings found a place to play. Her legs reminded her of Jello – quivering and shaking by touch alone – as her body was ravaged by skilled, loving fingers. Her ability to speak anything short of a vowel disappeared as well.

"Kagome . . . "the voice breathed huskily into her ear. She moaned quietly in response finding the talking to be distracting. She didn't want him to stop. It was right there, the end goal, and the release from this tension-filled prison.

"Kagome . . . "

Kagome opened her eyes to find that she had to blink a couple of times to realize that the room was dark and that her eyes were actually open. There was a light coming from behind the shadow of the man standing in the door.

"Kagome, are you all right?"

Kagome moved up onto her pillows into a sitting position as her mind worked on figuring out how the hell she went from being pleasured by – _gulp_ – Dr. Takahashi to having Hojo in the bedroom at, she glanced over at the red digits, 2:28 in the morning?

She was dreaming, partly. Kagome sheepishly pulled her hand out of her damp panties, twisting her fingers into the sheets to wipe her own glistening liquid off of them. The darkness of the room hid the blush that sprouted along her cheeks.

"I-I'm fine," she croaked out with a strain, embarrassed by being almost caught. "Just . . . just a nightmare." It was a little fib, but what could she say? That she was involuntarily masturbating to a fantasy involving her fertility doctor, Dr. McHunky Hanyou. Like that would be an accepted answer for the straight-laced Hojo.

Hojo frowned, his body tensing in preparation of consoling his Kagome. "Will you be okay?"

"Yeah, it wasn't about . . . "Kagome's voice faded as she recalled the nightmares that plagued her mostly sleepless nights after the death of her grandfather and brother. It had taken several months before she had a night without visions of car-crashes interrupting the dreams she wanted to have.

"Okay," he quietly replied as he finally entered the bedroom, relaxing when he knew she was fine. She watched as he moved to the dresser, pulling out fresh underwear and pajamas for the night. "Go back to sleep. I'll be in after a quick shower."

Kagome nodded, unsure if he could see her passive response in the darkness. She moved back down into a lying position, turning onto her side, tucking her scented hands underneath her pillows.

"Night Kagome."

Kagome yawned as he eyes gently shut. "Night . . . "She knew any chance to finish her dream, as well as her other actions, were all lost. This time, there would be no dreams, just plain dull sleep.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Briskly walking back from the gym where she did more than her normal workout to release that tension Hojo had interrupted, Kagome returned home to take care of the day's activities. The spring days felt like summer ones as June was a little more than a month away. A winter baby?

Kagome took a long hot shower to wash away the sweat from the workout and the sexual tension, which she noticed still wasn't going away. She was going to regret her decision that extra laps in the pool, as well as the extra two miles of stairs was enough to replace that sexual tension with tense muscles. It would only bring her pain tomorrow. Pain, pleasure, for some, there was no difference.

Once dressed, Kagome headed over to her office, the kitchen table. There were papers to grade, lessons to plan and then her capstone project that had little more than a month left until it was to be turned in. It was the culmination of all of her training neatly typed out and bound to be scrutinized by the best chefs and culinary artists in the city, an idea that she always yanked out of her head so she could concentrate without getting nervous.

Soon, it was lunch. Kagome prepared a toasted sandwich with turkey, ham, cheese and some leftover tomato sauce she had stored in the fridge, before returning back to her work. She planned to wait another hour before calling Sango and inviting her over for dinner; something she hadn't told Hojo about yet.

"The Izayoi Clinic, this is Saori speaking. How many I help you?"

"Hi Saori, this is Kagome, is Dr. Taijiya in?"

"Oh, good afternoon Kagome. Hold on for a moment while I check."

Kagome listened to the voiceless tunes of soft rock while she tapped her purple pen on the stack of graded papers. Now that the grading was out of the way, after this call, she could focus on her project. A few hours to work on it until dinner time. What was she going to make for dinner?

"This is Dr. Taijiya."

"Sango, its Kagome."

"Kagome," Sango said with some surprise. She hadn't expected Kagome to take her up on her offer so soon. "What can I do for you?"

"I would like to invite you and a guest of your choice, if you'd like, over to my place for dinner Friday night."

Dinner? Sango sat up straight in her chair, reaching out for her electronic organizer. "What time?"

"Uh, six would work."

Sango leaned back into her chair, kicking her heeled covered feet onto her desk. This was certainly unexpected. Still . . .

"Can I give you an answer later, to check my schedule?"

"Sure. I'm calling Dr. Takahashi back on Thursday and I can check back with you then."

Inuyasha was invited? He hadn't mentioned anything when she saw him this morning. Sango leaned forward, again checking her appointment book. She was scheduled to meet with Kagome that day.

"So, if I make it Friday, it might be best to reschedule your appointment."

"Uh, sure, though, maybe you could . . . "Kagome let out a sight. "Yeah, I could do double duty next week. I. . . I would feel better if both you and Dr. Takahashi could show up. I tend to be more open with people I've eaten with."

"Of course. Food is a wonder like that. So, we'll schedule you for two appointments next week and dinner, Friday at 6."

"Yes. That sounds good. I'll talk to you Thursday."

"Sure, Thursday."

"Have a good day Sango."

"You too Kagome."

Sango hung up the phone. Dinner with Kagome and Hojo. She readily admitted that it was a golden opportunity to study the two together in a comfortable environment. And she was allowed to bring a guest. This was a chance she couldn't ignore. Observation was just as proven a technique that could help this couple out. However, she faced one problem: Inuyasha.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome worked diligently in the kitchen, simultaneously fixing dinner as well as her project. She heard the door opened followed by it closing and the jingle of keys being tossed onto the table near the door. Hojo was home. Now, or should she wait?

"Hey," Kagome said as she checked the grains in the rice cooker. Hojo had wandered in, going straight to the refrigerator.

"What's for dinner?" He asked while searching for something to quench his thirst.

Kagome looked at the giant pot with the simmering food inside, the broth bubbling up and splattering some flavor up and out to her nose. "Oden."

Hojo chuckled as he closed the fridge door, holding a can of milk tea loosely in his hand. "I see. Your favorite."

Kagome smiled sheepishly. "Well, I just happened to have all of the ingredients handy."

"How much longer 'til it's done?" He snapped the tab and quickly gulped down half of the drink.

"Just a few minutes more." Kagome turned back to the stove finding herself a bit nervous, more afraid than plain nerves. "Hojo," she blurted his name out clumsily, as if she wasn't meant to speak it. "I-I . . . I invited Dr. Takahashi and Dr. Taijiya over for dinner Friday night."

Hojo arched an eyebrow up into his neat bangs. He stopped drinking the canned milk tea as the words settled into the part of his brain that prompted him to ask questions. "Oh." He moved the can away from his lips. He pursed them closed as he thought about what she had said. "Why?"

"Why not?" Kagome giggled back, concentrating on her soup. She didn't see the concerned look on his face. Or was it detest? She spun around, the bamboo spoon in her hand, when she caught the look on his face before he had a chance to blank it out. "You . . . you think it's a bad idea?"

Hojo didn't frown, but he definitely wasn't smiling. He set his can down on the counter as he strolled over to his girlfriend. "I don't think it's a bad idea, but I feel . . . uncomfortable with it."

"Uncomfortable?" She stepped up to him, resting her non-spoon hand on his arm. "Because they are our doctors or because you don't know them?"

He shrugged his shoulders as he replied, "Perhaps a little of both."

Kagome turned back to the stove, turning the heat off and moving the soup off that burner to someplace where it could cool. Dipping the spoon back into the broth, she stirred everything around, mixing the flavors and ingredients about.

"Having them over for dinner would give us a chance to get to know them." Kagome turned back to look at Hojo. He was staring at the ground, finding the tessellated pattern of the linoleum floor interesting. "I would feel better if I knew them, for our baby."

Hojo looked up at his Kagome and let out a quick puff of air. He nodded his head at her. "Of course," he answered, sounding more like he was just giving into her wants and needs. But this was for a child, something both of them really wanted. If Kagome felt that it was important to know her doctors, then he wouldn't argue with her.

Kagome smiled at his tone of permission. "Go sit down. I'll bring dinner out to you." She handed Hojo his canned drink before pushing him out of her kitchen so she could finish the last part of dinner.

She was glad that he was okay with this dinner plan of hers. Kagome had high hopes for this dinner, mostly for herself. There was a lot she needed to sort through and deal with as she prepared both her body and mind for the difficulties that lay ahead of her.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Friday.

Today was Friday. The dinner.

Kagome had been in the kitchen for hours, prepping food for tonight's feast. A call to the Izayoi Clinic let Kagome know that both Inuyasha and Sango were coming, as well as an unnamed guest. She was please though, everyone was coming. It also made the butterflies in her stomach flutter around a bit more than usual. Warning of an oncoming storm perhaps?

After the phone call, Kagome spent all Thursday night creating a menu; appetizers, salad, main course, side dishes, beverages and of course, a delicious dessert. The only problem was that she wasn't granted with the time to test out said menu. Tonight's dinner was not only the test, but the final performance. A no-no to her the world of food hospitality.

She did find the time to slip into the shower, go back to the kitchen to tend to the main course, back into the bathroom to do her hair, back in the kitchen to chop and slice, slipped into a dress than an apron before back into the kitchen to grate and mix. At 5:33, she was finally finished getting herself ready and could focus on finishing the food.

Where was Hojo?

Rushing into their bedroom, she pulled out some nice dress clothing for Hojo and placed them in the bathroom so that when he finally made it home, he could shower and dress quickly. Kagome sighed at how easy it was to be a guy when having to get reading for something like this.

"Kagome."

_Oh, thank the gods_, her mind cried out. "In the bathroom," she yelled. Hurrying out of the tiled room, she found Hojo walking briskly towards her. "Hurry. Shower. Clothes already in there," her short, quick words rushed out of her mouth.

Hojo said nothing as he walked passed Kagome, disappearing into the bathroom with the door closing and locking behind him. Kagome scurried back into the kitchen to finish the main feast for tonight's dinner. There were lots of little things to do, which caused the panic to rise in Kagome, unsure if it was all going to be done in time. Her guests were due to arrive in any moment.

Kagome jumped at the sound of their doorbell announcing the arrival of her guests. Scrambling to pull the apron off of her, she tossed it onto the floor, straightening out her dress as she scuttled her feet across the hardwood floor to the door.

Hojo met her there, his chestnut hair looking more like melted chocolate after his shower. Kagome straightened out the collar on his shirt as the doorbell cried out again. Kagome took a deep breath, asking her tense muscles to relax as the evening officially began.

"Sango," Kagome happily greeted the doctor. Stepping aside, she motioned for Sango and her guest to enter their apartment.

"Here, I can take that," Hojo offered as Sango slipped off her caramel colored pea coat.

"Thank you."

Hojo placed the coat in the nearby closet for safekeeping. Sango wore a low-cut caramel colored cotton sweater with a similarly colored silk camisole peeping out from underneath. A forest green brocade pencil skirt that was cut off at her knees swished when she moved back to the door to slip off her dark green sling-back heels. Sango then turned to her guest, grabbing onto their arm and hauling them inside. "Hojo, Kagome, this is Dr. Miroku . . . "

Miroku pushed passed Sango, taking a hold of the hands of a very startled Kagome, planting a quick peck on her knuckles. "Please. Dr. Miroku or just Miroku. Either one works for a charmingly beautiful example of the female species."

Sango rolled her eyes at the man. She'd known him for how long and he had never changed. Even with her weapon of the psychological, the man was too settled in his ways. But, time allowed her to test a variety of solutions to deal with his overzealous flirtations.

And the solution that worked the best; physical abuse. As a psychologist, she should've been repulsed by the idea of resorting to such archaic tactics, traditions of the very old, but with Miroku, she lost all resolved and acted almost prehistoric around him. Besides, it worked and that's what mattered most.

"Sango-dear . . . "Miroku pleaded as he rubbed the part of his head that had connected with Sango's rock hard fist. It had hurt, like it normally did, but, like he normally did, he ignored it.

Kagome and Hojo remained silent, though a bit shocked, as the scene between Sango and Miroku played out before them, sharing only looks of confusion. However, it seemed to them that this was a common occurrence between the two, causing Kagome to just grin and laugh at the odd couple.

"How about we move this into the living room? Hojo?" Kagome didn't need Sango and Miroku standing in their doorway doing what would look like to others as some form of spousal abuse. It would make their noisy neighbor's talk and she didn't want to hear about it at the monthly tenants meeting.

Hojo agreed and showed Sango and Miroku into the living room. It worked. The two quieted down as they took root into the cushions of the darkened green soft leather couch.

"Um, anything to drink. We have been ordered to stay away from alcohol, so the choices are water, juice, tea, coffee or a sparkling berry cider."

"Tea sounds wonderful," Miroku smoothly requested, flashing Kagome a crookedly dashing smile. Hojo nodded in agreement with Miroku's choice.

Sango stood up, straightening out her skirt. "I'd love to see your kitchen."

Kagome smiled and motioned for Sango to follow. Sango turned to Miroku and mouthed something to him. Kagome figured it was a warning for him to behave in the presence of their hosts, or something along those lines. This Dr. Miroku seemed to be almost child-like in many of his mannerisms.

Miroku watched as the ladies disappeared into the kitchen before turning to Hojo. Right away, his thoughts about the man were right. Sango's description of him was dead on, making it easier for Miroku to try to put himself in Hojo's shoes.

"You're a doctor?" Hojo asked, sitting in one of the arm chairs off to the side of the couch, a matching set of forest green hues decorated as Kagome saw fit and in a décor he was comfortable with. Nothing too girlie, like giant flowers.

Miroku nodded, resting one arm along the length of the sturdy back of the cushy couch, the other lying comfortably on a bent knee. "Yes, I also work at the clinic. I'm an OB/GYN."

"Really," he exclaimed, his eyes wide from that little bit of information. Hojo never would've guessed this man to be a woman's doctor.

"I believe I will be working with Dr. Takahashi on Kagome's case once the more intrusive fertility methods are employed," Miroku explained it plainly. He could tell that Inuyasha had yet to get that far in their treatments. Oh well, he figured, at least they'll know now instead of much later.

Hojo slowly rocked his head, as if he head heard what Miroku said, but it wasn't settling. "Well, Kagome will be glad you came then."

Miroku glanced over in the direction of the kitchen. "I too am glad that I was invited. Kagome is a gorgeous woman. Very nice indeed."

"Yes, she is. She works out, eats healthy," Hojo explained, not catching Miroku's double meaning.

Miroku lightly chuckled. "Yes, well, that's an added bonus. I like women because they are complex and fierce creatures. Kagome seems to be just that."

"Not really. Our lives are very simple."

"I don't believe that for one moment." Miroku angled his body so that it faced Hojo. "Kagome is a woman full of life, which comes with wants, needs and desires to be fulfilled. I work with women. Women are my patients. I tent to believe that I know a little something about them. And Kagome . . . she's vocal, isn't she?"

Hojo shifted around in the leather of his seat. "Vocal?" he asked innocently, his eyes never leaving Miroku's.

"Yes, vocal." He glanced back towards the direction of the girls. "Especially in the bedroom." His eyes lingered in that direction for some time, his mouth parting, the pink appendage in his mouth darting out, licking his hungry lips.

Hojo coughed at Miroku's blunt and totally inappropriate remark. "I-I . . . Look, I'm sorry, but my relationship with Kagome is not to be discussed with you."

"Sorry. I apologize for intruding into your activities. I find that I can't always help myself. I do find that knowing my patients as intimately as possible allows me to better help them."

"What Kagome and I do in the bedroom is satisfactory for both of us. I see no reason for Kagome to seek out help."

Satisfactory. Miroku winced at the word. And only in the bedroom. Oh the humanity, and all species of demons as well. Whatever, this was bad. Very, very bad. No bedroom experiences should be accepted as satisfactory, ever. Miroku had worked with hundreds of women, and a majority of them never wanted to ever settle for satisfactory, only seeking something better.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Wow, Kagome . . . "Sango started as she took in the sight that was Kagome's kitchen.

"Uh, green tea okay. If not, I've got black, brown, some flavored stuff."

"No, green is good." Sango couldn't believe her eyes. Kagome's kitchen was clean, but the counters were covered with edible delights that caused Sango to drool at the mere sight of such eats. Was this what they were going to be served with? Her belly could hardly wait.

Kagome warmed up the water as she put the finishing touches on the evening's appetizer. Sango quietly watched as Kagome hummed some unknown tune while pouring some tomato mixture on top of what looked to be pieces of toasted bread. This was Kagome in her element, doing what she loved and what she did best.

"What is that?" Sango had to ask, not wanting to wait to be told what she would most definitely be eating later.

"What? Oh, this?" Kagome settled pieces of mozzarella cheese over the tomato mixture. "Appetizer. It's, uh, a tomato bruschetta. I apologize to you ahead of time if it doesn't taste good. Normally, I like to practice and taste my recipes before making others eat it."

After Kagome slipped the baking sheet into the oven, she readied the tea for the two men in the living room. She couldn't help but wonder about Inuyasha. Sango said he had to work, and if Hojo was her example of working on Friday's, Inuyasha might not make it.

"Will you carry this for me?" Kagome asked, handing Sango a black lacquered tray with the ceramic tea kettle and cups neatly placed on it, along with sugar cubes, a jar that most likely contained honey, a tiny jug of milk and lemon slices. Sango was impressed with her attention to detail. This was both a good thing as well as a bad thing. Kagome would follow Inuyasha's instructions down to the dotted _i's_. But, she would never talk about her real fears because Kagome was one that only wanted to please others, even at her own sacrifice.

"Are we getting along?" Kagome teased as she brought out the crispy, steamy appetizers, followed by Sango with the tray of tea.

"Just lovingly," Miroku commented, reaching out to take the tray from Sango, which she refused. "Ah, Kagome," Miroku started as he got his first look at everything. "Sango said you were a chef, not an artist." His eyes glazed over at the sight of the steam rising off of the melted white cheese tops of the tomato bruschetta appetizers.

Kagome blushed, and then giggled it off. "Looks and tastes are separate matters. However, comments are always appreciated," and with that said, she urged everyone to taste the fist of many flavors she had planned for the evening.

"Kagome, this is . . . "Sango stuck out her tongue to pluck a loose chunk of tomato from her lips. "Wow."

Hojo nodded in agreement. "Another one for the recipe books."

"The taste far exceeds the looks," Miroku quickly uttered before stuffing the entire piece into his mouth.

"Good. I'm glad." Kagome blushed at the attention. Moving over to Hojo, she bent down to tell him something. "I'll be in the kitchen for a few more minutes."

"Okay," he replied, reaching out for another bruschetta to snack on.

Kagome left the three to chat and snack on cheesy tomatoes while she headed into the kitchen to finish up the rest of the evening's meal. The table was already set with the proper utensils and plates, as well as a bouquet of fresh spring flowers and candles that matched the color and scent of the flowers.

As she was shaking up the bottle of salad dressing, the doorbell rang. Setting the bottle down, she quickly wiped her hands on a kitchen rag as she yelled out an '_I got it_' to those sitting in the living room, not wanting to interrupt their conversation.

"Good evening Dr. Takahashi." Kagome nervously beamed at the sight of her doctor standing there in a leather jacket, though still dressed in the work clothes for the day. He did not fail to make it look more casual by pulling out the hem of his crisp, white button shirt and letting his silver hair flow freely without the constraints of a tie or braid. She stepped aside, allowing him entrance before closing the door behind him. "I can take your coat if you'd like."

"Sure, thanks." Inuyasha slipped out of his jacket and handed it to her. "Are Sango and Miroku already here?"

Kagome opened the coat closet and pulled out an empty hanger. "Yes, they are in the living room with Hojo right now." As Kagome put the coat on the hanger, she found herself curious about the scent of the jacket. Did it smell like him? A combination of manly, eh, hanyou musk, cologne and his sweat? She was too embarrassed to find out; worried that he might catch her. As a human, she wasn't supposed to go around sniffing other's belongings. That was left to dogs and other animals that sniffed.

"This way Dr. Takahashi," she said with a faint smile on her face.

"Kagome, you can call me Inuyasha."

"Okay," she lied. She couldn't. The title _doctor_ would serve to remind her that he was just that, her doctor. And that even though she fantasized about him, Sango's warning buzzed violently and as bright as a neon sign in her mind. To call him by his first name would be a step into that fantasy, and she was afraid of getting more than her foot stuck.

"Ah, Inuyasha has arrived," Miroku proclaimed as he munched as his piece of appetizer.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Kagome offered as she checked on the tea, which was still okay.

"Kagome, I'll have that cider you offered earlier," Sango spoke up form her place next to Miroku.

"Whatever is fine," Inuyasha spoke as he sat down in the empty armchair across from Hojo.

Kagome grinned as she turned and headed back into the kitchen to full that order. Sango pushed the tray of tomato bruschetta towards Inuyasha. Miroku stopped her and snagged two more pieces off for himself.

"You have to try these," Sango said as she plucked off one for herself.

"So, Inuyasha, a busy Friday isn't like you."

Inuyasha looked up at Miroku as he leaned over to reach for one of these bruschetta things he just had to try. "Keh, that and traffic."

"Well, we are glad that you could make it," Hojo said with a half-smile on his face. "Kagome has really worked hard on this."

Just then, Kagome returned with another tray of drinks. Five lily-shaped flutes filled with a remarkable looking liquid, a cool lavalamp of bubbling beiges, pinks and oranges. Kagome passed one out to everyone since she wanted them to try it, whether they wanted to or not. What she wasn't telling them would hopefully allow for truthful and helpful comments.

"Kagome, what is this?" Hojo asked as his brown eyes narrowed and scrutinized the colors and bubbles of the nameless liquid. "And what's this . . . object . . . is it stuck at the bottom?"

Kagome frowned at the knotted string of questions Hojo threw out at her. She found it slightly rude, especially in front of guests. Now they would be hesitant to try out her new recipe. So much for those helpful comments she depended on to better her culinary skills.

Inuyasha noticed the change in Kagome's demeanor. At first, she was excited to serve the unknown beverage to them, standing tall, proud and with one of those smiles he preferred. Now, she frowned, shoulders slacked and he could sense many negative emotions; annoyance, fear, and she was really nervous.

"Oi," Inuyasha called out. Kagome snapped her head towards him, shocked at his sudden outburst. She was surprised to see him holding out the glass at her, empty.

"Uh, more?" She asked, stunned at his bold gesture, her shaking hand reached out for the glass. Inuyasha nodded his head, letting out a small grunt. "Okay, uh, if you're all ready, we can move this into the dining room."

Everyone silently agreed with that idea, since it held promise of more food. They moved into the dining room while Kagome was in the kitchen readying not only more of the berry spritzer drink, but the start of the meal; basically more food. And if the appetizer was of any indication, only good things were to come, bringing a smile onto her face once again.

_Calm down_.

_Must calm down_, Kagome instructed herself as she gripped the edge of the tiled countertop, her fingertips red, and her knuckles white. It took several deep breaths before she was able to function again. Why was she in the kitchen again? Why did she feel so hot, flushed? What was wrong with her?

Was it . . . was this . . . could it be . . . Inuyasha?

She shook her head, trying to shake him out of it. This was just some silly, high school – no – junior high crush. Hojo was her one true love, the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with, the one who will very soon be the father of their child. There wasn't time for her to gush and flutter about so carelessly. It was childish, foolish.

It would only lead to unnecessary trouble. The exact kind she wanted to and needed to avoid. During her mental berating, Kagome put together the salad she intended to serve, tossing the sensitive ingredients harsher than she should have. She couldn't believe she was letting it bother her this much.

When she determined satisfactorily that her mind was stable enough to face her distractingly handsome guest, everything was ready for them. Kagome reemerged from the kitchen into the dining room, smiling as brightly as she could. No one could ever know. She hoped that if she ignored it, the problem (if she could even call it that) would go away on its own.

"Kagome, I'm already impressed," Sango said as Kagome approached the table. "You really didn't have to do all of this just for us."

Sango was referring to the table settings. Setting in front of everything was the chocolate stained rectangular table covered striped with a white cotton table runner. The five place settings had been set with bright sky blue placemats. The dinnerware was white with an intricate design in stark black. On top of the oval shaped plates were bright yellow salad bowls, looking more like a child's rendition of a sun. The correct silverware was placed, salad and dinner fork placed to the left, the knife, serrated edge facing the plate and spoon to the right.

"She's right Kagome. For Sango, take-out is gourmet," Miroku poked fun at the woman sitting next to him.

Sango scowled at the smug boy, secretly preparing ways to torture him later on. Her use of force earlier was uncalled for it front of people who weren't used to their real personalities. Well, at least Miroku's.

But she wasn't going to let that be the last word. "As long as the delivery boy is cute."

Kagome sat down a giant bowl of salad onto the table next to Sango. Then she gave Inuyasha his refilled glass of the spritzer beverage, not taking immediate notice of where he sat. Instead, she focused on having everything she needed for the salad. Tongs in the serving bowl, dressings, croutons and grated cheeses.

"Help yourselves. I have several types of dressing here since I didn't know your preferences. The one with the blue cap is shallot-balsamic dressing, the red cap is a simple garlic-oil dressing, the green one is a Japanese ginger dressing and the yellow cap is just regular Italian."

"Did you make all of these yourself?" Miroku asked as he eyed the bottles, trying to pick one out to test. They all looked tasty.

"Yes I did." Kagome sat down in the empty chair, the one in between Hojo and Inuyasha, with her sitting directly next to Inuyasha as Hojo took his seat at the head of the table. She blushed when she caught him, Inuyasha, looking at her as she reached out to unfold her napkin, setting it carefully onto her lap.

"Kagome, this is fantastic," Sango gushed as she munched through the grilled romaine hearts slathered in warmed oils and herbs. She then turned to Inuyasha and pointed her fork at him. "Why can't you get the cafeteria to serve food like this? Stuff that actually tastes like it's supposed to."

Inuyasha came to the dinner with one goal for the evening: keep his mouth shut. And he was going to.

Miroku had to jump onto this. "Just imagine it. Good food, and we could see the lovely Kagome all of the time. Mmmm, what do you think, Inuyasha? It would be better than eating ramen consistently for every meal of everyday. Hey, let's ask Kagome."

"Mmmm?" Kagome mumbled as she munched on her salad. She hadn't been paying much attention to the conversation, more worried about how the salad came out then to small talk. It tasted fine to her, but that didn't mean the others would find it as delicious.

"Is ramen considered a food group?" Miroku asked in a very serious tone, only to mock the inu-hanyou. "Though it may be different for demons, or as Inuyasha is a hanyou."

"Uh," Kagome stuttered, trying to get her grip on the conversation. She looked over at Inuyasha since this conversation was suddenly about him. His eyes were closed, his head titled down and he was gripping his fork tighter than he needed to. "For demons and some hanyous, depending on their heritage, protein is the most basic need to sustain the energies of their bodies. As with our bodies as well, we can convert proteins into carbohydrates, a reason why we must watch our carb intake." Kagome had taken some demon biology classes in college so she could better help them when it came to nutrients. And she kept up on it with magazine subscriptions to nutrition journals.

"So, as long as he adds meats, or even certain beans, legumes, to his ramen, he's eating just fine. Unless you want the cafeteria to serve wiggling meat."

"Kagome," Hojo leaned in to whisper to her. "Not _that_ discussion again."

Kagome nodded, not realizing that two pairs of eyes were scrutinizing everything she and he said or did. Time to change the subject. "As much as I would enjoy running a cafeteria, I'm afraid that if I'm to have this child that we are all working on, then I would have to decline."

Sango and Miroku both sighed disappointedly as dreams of fabulous food at work quickly faded away. So far, the food was beyond their expectations. Even Inuyasha was behaving. He hadn't lashed out at them cussing and ranting on and on, protecting his ramen and its greatness. Instead, he was behaving like a well-trained dog.

"So, Kagome, Hojo, how many children are you planning on having? I'll need to know so I can keep my schedule clear for you." Miroku glanced at Sango, hoping to see some kind of reaction from her about his choice in questioning.

Kagome and Hojo looked at each other, surprised by the sudden turn in topic, fumbling with their utensils and their words.

"Let's see if we can have one first," Hojo dryly replied as he dug back into his salad. He felt that this wasn't a proper dinner topic. Dinner topics should include sports, politics, certain advances in health and medicine, not this. These were matters not to be discussed so openly in such a casual setting.

Kagome nibbled on her bottom lip as the awkward silence filled the room up. This normally didn't happen. The conversation should be flowing freely. Kagome glanced over at Hojo, taking notice of his furrowed brows. Normally, Hojo didn't get bothered by anything. She found him to be such an easy going guy.

Sango and Miroku picked up on the tension between the two. Kagome was willing, maybe even wanting to talk about children while it was very clear that Hojo did not. It wasn't to say that Hojo was changing his mind; it was just that he didn't want to talk about it here and now.

Sango turned to Miroku, her mouth agape at the uncomfortable situation, looking for a way out; looking to him for a new conversation topic. Miroku had a penchant for small talk from his years as an OB/GYN, helping to calm the anxious nerves of girls in that position.

Miroku gave a nod to Sango, answering her silent plea to help out Kagome. "Tell me Kagome." Kagome looked up at Miroku, her eyes showing worry at what he would ask of her. "How does one put together a meal like this? The flavors, they all blend together so immaculately."

"Practice, taste-testing and some education, well more like reading and experimenting." Kagome picked up a tomato from her salad and held it up. "I got the idea of grilling the romaine hearts from grilling and broiling tomatoes."

"It must be a painstaking process," Miroku commented as he ate his grilled lettuce and tomatoes.

"It was, but now, a lot of that part of the cooking process is taught as a basic class for culinary students, especially matching herbs and spices."

"Keh," Inuyasha interjected, gently pushing his empty plate of salad away from him. The others looked over at him as he had remained particularly quiet this whole time. "It's why I like ramen. It's tasty and universal."

Kagome giggled, setting down her fork instead of stuffing her mouth with food so she could comment. "You're right you know. Especially ramen noodles. I probably have a couple hundred recipes that involve ramen noodles."

"Careful Kagome. Inuyasha may ask for your payment to have you prepare every ramen recipe you have," Sango playfully warned both the chef and the fertility doctor.

"Keh."

"Come now Inuyasha," Miroku smirked at the hanyou. "Other than dessert, it is the only meal you eat, and the money you receive for your services partially supports your ramen obsession."

"An inu-hanyou has to eat."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's End of the Chapter Corner:**

An abrupt ending because I wasn't sure where to stop and what I had written out didn't really have a good stopping point. So, the appetizer and salad were presented here and the next chapter will hopefully finish up the supper. Why am I writing about this? You'll see. I do hope you'll put up with the mundane for a moment.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

You may want to reread Chapter Seven and then go straight into this if you wish since they are a continuous scene I broke up.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Eight And for the Main Course . . . **

"Ah," Kagome squeaked, nearly jumping out of her chair, the piece of furniture sliding gently against the wooden floor. She tossed her napkin onto the seat and rushed out of the dining room without another word said.

"Kagome?" Hojo asked, slightly concerned, but that concern left as she disappeared into the kitchen. It must be time for the main course.

"Is she okay?" Sango politely asked about Kagome's sudden sprint out of the dining room, curious if something said sparked a memory of feeling from her past.

"Of course she is," Hojo replied as if Sango had implied that there was something else wrong.

Miroku picked up on the defensive tone Hojo used. Everyone at the table was well aware of Hojo and Kagome's problem, _that_ wasn't what Sango was referring to however. Never would any of them so blatantly be that inconsiderate. Inuyasha was a bit rough, but he knew where the boundaries were at and knew never to cross when he could help it.

Clearing his throat, Miroku leaned over to Sango. "Could you pass me that bottle there?" Something needed to be said, even if he was already finished with his salad. The air needed to be filled with sound until Kagome returned as she was the one that really kept things going.

Sango handed Miroku the bottle with the yellow cap on it. "Did you try this?" she asked as it was the dressing she had used.

"No, I'm afraid that I didn't get to. What about you, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha sighed at Miroku's obvious and poor attempt to include him in this farce of a conversation. Rolling his eyes, he mumbled a negative reply so that he at least pretended to be interested. He didn't want Hojo to think anything of him, other than being his doctor. Inuyasha didn't like the guy and the longer he sat here, the deeper that dislike burrowed into his heart.

"If you want, take it home with you."

All heads turned to see Kagome back in the dining room with a large sterling silver deep dish pan with a lid covering the main course from peering eyes and eager noses. She sat the pan down in the clearing at the end of the table where no one was seated.

"Oh, Kagome, I couldn't."

"Don't be silly. It's easy for me to make more for myself. Besides, it might make those things called salads at the clinic actually have some flavor."

Sango and Miroku chuckled at Kagome's poking fun of Inuyasha and the cafeteria. Inuyasha playfully growled, but flashed Kagome a quick smirk letting her know that he found some humor with what she said. Hojo just sat there oblivious to anything other than being polite. He was here for Kagome and their baby. Kagome lifted the lid off the pan, inviting the aroma of the meal to float out and seek out the noses of those that were hungry.

"Dr. Takahashi, your plate please."

Inuyasha handed Kagome his plate and watched as she filled it with pieces of flamed steak, broiled red potatoes, softened from the cooking process, and carrots, all covered in a thin, dark translucent sauce. Her motions were smooth and graceful, the dance of cooking. She didn't just dump the food onto his plate like they did at the clinic cafeteria, but each piece was quickly and meticulously place in some fashion that Kagome preferred to serve it.

"Here you go."

"Thanks," he muttered as he took the plate. His inu-hanyou senses soaked up the scent, causing his stomach to howl alive with hunger, the acidic gastric juices pumping and primed for the work ahead.

Inuyasha waited and then watched as Sango and Miroku passed around their plates to be filled with the dinner. Hojo held up his plate. Kagome scuttled over to him, took the plate and then hurried back over to the food. The guests did not miss it, but weren't sure how to question it. Kagome served Hojo his plate of food, setting his plate down on the table in front of him. Hojo shared a tiny, almost secretive, smile with Kagome.

Kagome picked up her plate and slopped her portion onto it, not giving it the attention to detail as she had done with the others. Finally, she was sitting down. It was time to eat.

"Please . . . "Kagome said softly, a nervous smile gracing her dry lips as she motioned for the others to start.

"What about you?" Inuyasha asked, noticing that Kagome didn't have any utensils in her hands, and that her hands were in her lap, fidgeting with the napkin instead.

"Oh, uh, I'd like for you to try it first, to see if it's any good."

Inuyasha had to strain to hear her whispered words. She was oozing off nervousness in the gallons. He didn't think it was that big of a deal. It was just food. Heck, it smelt good enough. But, if it was important to her, he'd oblige her.

It seemed that everyone was waiting for Inuyasha to take the initial plunge. He thought it was strange of them. Delicious smelling food was in front of them and they hesitated. Why was he willing to be the guinea pig?

Kagome intently watched as Inuyasha selected a piece of browned steak, stabbing it with his fork, swirling it around in the sauce before lifting it up to his lips. After that piece was gone, Inuyasha picked up another and continued to eat. He wasn't going to tell the others that by sitting there like gapped-mouth idiots, they were missing out on some damn tasty grub.

"So, does this mean you like it?" Inuyasha vigorously nodded. He wasn't going to talk with his mouth full of food. He was too busy eating. Having ramen for all of his meals, he had forgotten what other foods tasted like.

Kagome clapped her hands together. "I'm so glad." She picked up her fork and started in on her food. "I was so worried that flaming it would be a bit much. Or that I had flamed it too much."

"Flaming?" It was the only word that escaped Inuyasha's mouth before bites.

"Yes. It's a cooking technique where you pour brandy on it . . . "

"I told you no alcohol." He glared at her from the corners of his eyes, pausing from his meal to scold her, his fork rattling against a half-empty plate.

Kagome froze, her fork midway up to her mouth, pieces of steak and potato dangling helplessly from the metal prongs. His look, it was intense, scary. She gulped as she found her explanation. "I . . . uh . . . the alcohol, it's very volatile, so it burns out in the process. I-I've been following what you told me," she said timidly, because she felt that it wasn't all true. She was ashamed that she had somehow disappointed him.

Inuyasha picked up his fork and began eating again. "As long as you understand. I'm not ordering you to do these things because I can. If you're serious about having a pup, then they are to be wholly followed."

"And I am." Kagome surprised even herself at the sound of desperation in her voice as she cried out to him, trying to convince him that she was doing almost everything he had told her to do. To convince him that she was worthy enough to have a child of her own.

"Keh, then we're clear."

Sango and Miroku exchanged more knowing looks as they quietly ate their meal, content with just watching, for the time being, Kagome and Inuyasha interact with each other. It was surprising to see that Hojo remained quiet during Inuyasha's preaching – no – scolding of Kagome.

Kagome quietly turned back to her food, picking at several pieces before deciding on the smallest one to eat, a potato, something that didn't have contact with the brandied meat. She hung her shamed head low, afraid to look back at Inuyasha.

The table sat in silence other than the sounds of forks connecting with the ceramic plates, ringing out dully. Kagome didn't feel hungry anymore. She felt that eating this meal was wrong, that because she had poured an alcoholic beverage onto the steak, it was forever tainted, as well as the creamy-like sauce accompanying it. She hadn't thought about her recipe enough to consider all of the variables. This meal was a failure.

Kagome silently gasped as she remembered that one of the salad dressings she tried at school may have had alcohol in it. She hadn't paid much attention to the presenter, but was sure she'd heard the word '_wine_' spoken. _Gods, I'm messing this all up_, she thought. She didn't have much of it, but even a little could destroy her hard work.

"Seconds anyone?" Kagome asked a bit too sudden and cheery, ready to stand up. It would be a good distraction from eating her meal.

Inuyasha placed a hand on her arm, keeping her in her chair. "Eat your meal. I've got arms. I can serve myself." Kagome planted herself back down into the chair, amazed that anyone could be so forceful, but soft and considerate at the same time.

The continued silence of the dinner was interrupted by a different ringing. _That's my chance_. Kagome stood up in her chair, this time, Hojo stopped her.

"I'll get the door. Dr. Takahashi is right, please eat," Hojo insisted with one of his reassuring smiles that Kagome had found so much comfort in. She sat back down again as Hojo excused himself to answer the call of the door. Not even a minute later, Hojo was back at the table, by Kagome, but not sitting down.

"Who was it?" Kagome quietly asked, her face turned away from the guests to give her and Hojo some privacy.

Hojo glanced over at everyone. "I'll have to ask you all to excuse me for just a little bit longer."

"Who is it?" Kagome asked again, curious as to who could drag Hojo away from this dinner.

"It's Kikyou," and with that said Hojo left the dining room and left a speechless Kagome watching him as her mouth hung open.

"Who's Kikyou?" Miroku asked, not catching the shocked, pale look on Kagome's face. Sango elbowed him hard in his ribs. He was about to protest, but caught the look of despair on Kagome's face. Oops.

"Kikyou is, uh, she's Hojo's boss at his work," Kagome spoke slowly, using this as another chance to forget about her food for the moment.

"What does Hojo do exactly?" Sango only knew that he worked at Bio-Guchi and that was the extent of it.

"He designs drugs, medicines. But that's all I'm allowed to know."

"Allowed?" Miroku thought that sounded funny. Couples should be able to come home and talk about their day, not hide it.

"Yes. The information of new drugs, new medicines are a matter of privacy and above all, money. If he told me something, there's a chance I could say that something to the wrong person and another company might be able to put the drug on the market first, meaning Bio-Guchi would lose not only the research but a potential loss of billions."

"Besides," she chuckled, "even if he could explain it, I'd just get confused. All I do know is that what he is working on is nearing possible live species trials. Hojo has been working on this for a long time. Kikyou has been the project manager and his mentor for three, four years now. With her help, Hojo has turned an idea into something real and hopefully one day it will be beneficial to the sick."

Her saccharine faith in Hojo and his work hurt the others. She spoke so deeply about it, but no one could feel her passion for him. Being left in the dark for so long made it difficult for Kagome to understand what it was she believed in.

"Dr. Miroku, Sango, seconds for you?"

"Don't you like your own food?"

Sango closed her eyes and shook her head. Miroku slouched back into his chair. Why did they ever think that for once, Inuyasha could keep his damaging opinions to himself? Kagome was struggling as it was. She didn't need her doctor to mock her.

"No, it's not that . . . "

"Then what? Is it because of the brandy?" He didn't need a verbal reply from her to know that was the problem. "There isn't any alcohol in it. I can't taste it. Besides, you need to eat."

"Of course." Picking up her fork, she did as she was told and started to eat her dinner. Superman he may not be, but if he said that there wasn't any, then she believed him.

"It's okay Kagome. We too can serve ourselves," Miroku said as he shoved his plate in front of Sango with a dashing smile poorly plastered on his face. Sango roughly took his plate from him and messily slopped more onto the plate for him, not making it all neat and tidy like Kagome had it. "It's very good by the way. Something I'd expect from a five star restaurant."

"Thank you," she blushed, timidly eating tiny morsels of food.

"Kagome." Kagome looked up to see Hojo beckoning for her. "A moment please."

Kagome didn't want to leave her guests alone. It was improper as her role as the host. She mulled over it for a few seconds, even as she could tell that Hojo was growing impatient with her stubbornness, or was it defiance? Standing up, she tossed her napkin off of her lap and onto her chair.

"Please excuse me." Kagome dashed off and disappeared with Hojo.

"Ow. Sango dear, please." Miroku rubbed his arm where Sango unleashed an assault of punches and slaps against the arm nearest to her. He chuckled at her though. "I thought you'd hold out just a bit longer."

"Pervert. I was going to, but you're being an ass."

"Me? What . . . ? Sango, I'm only trying to help out our Kagome."

"I know, but you're still an ass." Sango turned back to her food, but caught Inuyasha smirking from below his bangs. "And you . . . " She glared at her boss and her friend. "Stop."

"What?" he asked innocently.

"I'm not saying anything, but stop. Just . . . stop."

Inuyasha grumbled unmentionables at Sango, who just continued to glare at him with that 'death gaze' of hers that she had perfected over the years they had known each other. He wasn't afraid of it, exactly, but he knew that she could hurt him if provoked enough. Kagome would not appreciate a fight in her dining room.

"You can be nice for once." Sango finished the food off of her plate, warning Inuyasha that his behavior was uncalled for. Sango felt sorry for Kagome. For Sango, the dinner provided a glimpse into her life with Hojo. But, for Kagome, to invite people she barely knew over was courageous and utterly frightening. They all needed to be extra nice to her. Sango needed Kagome to open up to her.

"Keh." Inuyasha dished himself a second helping of the meat and potato dish. He wouldn't to straight out admit it, but Kagome was a decent cook, something he would definitely look for in a mate of his own. A woman who could cook meant two things: he would be full and his pups would get the food they would need to grow.

"This doesn't mean you get to refrain from joining in the conversations," Sango continued, trying to keep her voice from rising too much. She didn't need to draw any unnecessary attention to herself.

_Thank the gods_.

Inuyasha was glad that Sango apparently ran out of things to say to him about his actions and his words and his mere presence. It was the way he was, like he was going to change for her. Now that Sango wasn't talking, no one was. And with Kagome and Hojo both missing, dinner was at a standstill.

Not one to just sit and wait, Inuyasha found the intermission a chance to look around at the place. He was a minimalist, a typical male. A simple two bedroom apartment contained all he needed to live. Nothing more. There were no plants, no paintings or statues to add décor. The walls were white, same with the sheets and towels, and everything else was black. How much simpler could one get?

This place was filled with much more. Just a glance at the table spoke volumes, and it wasn't Hojo speaking it. Inuyasha figured that this was all of Kagome's doing and Hojo just agreed to it because he didn't really care.

And while the see-through curtains matched the plates, he admitted that it added a feeling of comfort his apartment lacked. He didn't know if it was from the use of vibrant colors or matching artwork, but there was something to say about a woman's touch. Now if he could find a woman.

_'You're leaving?'_

His ears swiveled in the direction of the voice he'd just heard. It was a woman's voice.

_'I have to.'_

'_But, now? We have guests.'_ It was Kagome, talking, pleading to Hojo.

_'It's very important.'_ That wasn't Kagome's voice. Another woman. Must be that Kikyou, the name Kagome mentioned, Hojo's boss. _'We need Hojo to analyze the data from the previous experiment and compare it with the new results for we fear that there was a problem in the collection of data. It has to be done as soon as possible.'_

_'Can it wait, at least until after dinner? Kikyou, please, you are more than welcome to join us.'_ Inuyasha easily caught the desperation cracking in her voice.

_'I'm not hungry,'_ he heard the Kikyou-woman snap back.

_"Kagome, please understand,"_ Hojo pleaded to his partner.

"Shame on you Inuyasha." Inuyasha glanced over at Miroku, though his ears were still directed at the private conversation Kagome was having. He narrowed his eyes at the silver-tongued doctor, a warning not to continue with that. Besides, how did Miroku know he was snooping on them?

Inuyasha cleared his throat just as Kagome returned with Hojo and Kikyou. Miroku and Sango turned in their chairs to visually welcome them back; sparkling eyes and smiles.

Kagome looked over and Hojo and he nodded back. Bringing a fist to his mouth, he cleared his throat a few times, as if he preparing to deliver an important speech. He looked not to Kagome, but to Kikyou.

"I must apologize. I am being summoned away. An experiment that I have been working on has finished and I must review that data as quickly as possible. There is a deadline I must meet. Again, I am sorry to have to leave. But please, stay and enjoy the meal Kagome has prepared for you."

Kagome gave Hojo a grim smile as he followed Kikyou out to the door, her eyes downcast, watching his feet walk away from her. Sango looked over at Miroku and Inuyasha, obviously worried for the girl. It was a blow to Kagome to have Hojo leave in the middle of what she wanted to be a nice dinner getting to know the people who would give them the miracle of a life.

"Are you all right?" Sango cautiously asked, keeping her voice steady and soft.

Kagome snapped her head around to her neglected guests. That grim smile of hers evolved into something slightly higher on the happiness scale, but not enough to reach her eyes. Kagome quickly returned to her seat, again, ignoring her food.

"Uh, I'm fine. He told me this was going to happen. If he gets the proposal in quickly, then they'll be able to start live species trials." Kagome gently pushed her still filled plate away from her. "I just didn't think it'd be happening right now." Her voice trailed off as her eyes gazed at the candle that had almost burnt completely down.

Sharking herself from her thoughts, she slipped on a different smile for her guests. "Let's move to the living room for drinks and dessert."

Kagome leapt out of the chair, waiting for the others to join her. They reluctantly stood up, unsure of what was going on in her head, but decided to go along with her to appease her fragile feelings. Following her into the living room, Sango and Miroku settled next to each other on the couch while Inuyasha settled into the chair he occupied earlier.

"Anything to drink?" Kagome easily slipped back into the role of host, using it as a cover. She knew of course that they all had thoughts running around in their head about what was going on, and it would no doubt end up as a topic for her and Sango to discuss at a future session.

Miroku lifted the glass he brought with him from the dinner table showing that it was still full. Inuyasha shook his head, his silver mane fluttering about as he leaned back into the chair. Sango lifted her glass, only to show Kagome that it was very empty. Kagome smiled before leaving for the kitchen.

Miroku opened his mouth only to have Sango slap a hand over it. "Don't," she warned him before removing her hand.

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"Oh yes I do." She leaned over to Miroku and whispered. "Save it for later."

"Keh." Inuyasha crossed his arms and pushed his back into the chair, causing his bottom and legs to stretch out in front of him. _Hypocrites_, he thought. It wasn't polite to talk about Kagome in her own home, so they would probably wait until they returned to whichever place was closer, probably Sango's, before talking about her while naked.

He really needed a girl. Or just sex.

Kagome returned with a tray covered in food and beverages. She must have stock in trays. Setting the tray down on the table, Kagome grabbed the bottle of the berry spritzer and filled Sango's glass up. She brought a pitcher of water, as well as some clear glasses in case Inuyasha, or the others, changed their minds.

But what really grabbed everyone's attention, sight, scent, taste buds, were the four perfectly sliced, perfectly sized pieces of what appeared to be cheesecake with a thick fudge sauce on top. Kagome passed out the slices, along with a small-sized dessert fork to everyone. And like before, she waited until the guests took the first bite.

No words were spoken, only moans and muffled praises were sung, except from Inuyasha. He quietly ate the slice in three quick bites. Kagome laughed at him. He sheepishly looked up at her, somewhat ashamed by how rude he may have appeared. Kagome held out her slice to him, which he greedily took to consume at a hasty speed.

"It's decided. Kagome, I am kidnapping you. I will force to you be my slave and make me these wondrous foods."

Sango rolled her eyes at Miroku. She figured he'd force her to do other things if he completely had his way. And he wondered why he wasn't married yet. If only he could keep his thoughts on one woman instead of all women.

Kagome shook her head, blushing at Miroku's continuous praise of her skills. She knew her food wasn't that great. He was being overly polite for her sake. Kagome, however, missed the deep, very low growl that rolled from Inuyasha's chest.

_No one will make her a slave._

Inuyasha forced the last bit of his cake into his mouth, hoping no one heard his growl and was entirely thankful that no one could read his thoughts. Even he didn't know where they came from.

"That's somewhat kind of you to say, I think. However, I won't be working in a kitchen."

"Oh." Sango placed her empty plate back down onto the table and reached for her spritzer. "What are your plans?" She had asked Kagome this before, but perhaps, in a more relaxed setting, she might talk more openly about her future plans, maybe say something she hadn't in the session.

"I still need to graduate first, which will be in another two months. Plus I'm scheduled to work, uh, teach during the summer session. So, if everything goes to plan, I'll hopefully be pregnant by then and will end up staying at home."

Nope. She was still stuck on the same story. Sango wasn't trying to put down the girl, but she felt that Kagome was throwing her talent away. A lot of women did forgo their promising careers to instead raise a family. And with Hojo's career apparently on track, Kagome had the luxury of staying home.

Kagome settled with just having a glass of water. It was fine with her as she wasn't one to indulge in sweets unless she absolutely craved them. There was a time when she couldn't get enough of chocolates, caramels and other cavity causing sweets. As she started to cook more and more, she grew conscious of her health and that it was important to her to remain healthy but at the same time, able to enjoy good tasting food. Good eats didn't mean sweets, a valuable lesson learned from school.

The light conversation carried on for another hour until Sango realized the time. She proclaimed that she had an all day conference to attend tomorrow and needed to get up early to drive the hour to the campus where it was being held.

Kagome kept everyone a few minutes longer to give them small sized wooden boxes with an extra slice of cake and the bottle of dressing to take with them, assuring them that it was no trouble at all as she could easily shake up another batch if she so desired.

"Thank you so much for coming," Kagome quipped as she handed them their jackets.

"No, no. Thank you. The food was great," Sango said as Miroku helped her into her coat.

"Then we'll have to do this again." Miroku nodded his head to Kagome's suggestion. "A pleasure meeting you Dr. Miroku."

"Do not fret. I'll be seeing more of you later on," he said in a lower register and waggling eyebrows. Sango smacked him across the back of his head. "What? It's gyno humor. I don't get to make career jokes often." Sango pushed him out the door before he had any more chances to make a bigger ass out of himself.

"Coming Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha patted down his pockets. "Ah shit. I think I left my keys somewhere. Go on without me." Sango and Miroku left, leaving Inuyasha alone with Kagome.

"Did you need help searching for them?"

"No. I'm sure they're in the chair I was in." Inuyasha walked back into the living room, digging his hands into the cushions, finding his keys. He growled at the cushion's ability to steal his keys, cell phone or pocket change.

He found Kagome in the kitchen cleaning up. Watching her clean up alone made him feel bad. That Hobo – Hojo guy should be here to help her. Instead, he was at work with a woman that Inuyasha was unsure of. Inuyasha wondered how many nights this week Hojo had been at work.

That and she was still dressed up so nice. Her thick raven hair had been pulled back into a bun that settled at the top of her head with tendrils cascading down to frame her face. The dress she chose was stunning and it didn't surprise him that it matched with the rest of the colors and patterns she picked out for dinner. A sensual black mesh dress embellished with iridescent beads and embroidery. The v-neck, again, only gave him a hint of cleavage, but it was enough for him, for now. Kagome wore no jewelry at all, giving her an almost earthy, surreal look.

It wasn't a dress to clean up a kitchen alone in. To him, it was the type of dress you would unzip in the bedroom, to watch it fall at her dainty bare feet. And her hair, he would have to loosen it up, free it from that confining style. He would envision her like that, tonight, in his dreams.

"Did you find your keys Dr. Takahashi?" Kagome scooped the leftover meat and potato dish into a plastic container.

"Uh, yeah, I did." The words brought him back to reality. His eyes watched as the tasty food was poured into a neat, but clumpy pile.

"Would you like to take this home with you?" she asked as she caught his eyes watching the food.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I mean . . . if you aren't going to eat it, I'll make sure it doesn't go to waste." Why did he feel like an idiot? Why did he feel like he sounded like one too?

"No, I insist." Kagome sealed the container with the appropriate lid and put it in the box with his extra large slice of cake and a bottle of salad dressing, along with note saying that he could use the dressing on cold ramen noodles if he preferred. "I . . . I make too much food anyway and we hardly eat leftovers because I cook so many different meals for school." Why did she feel like she was babbling like an idiot?

"Thanks."

"Thank you for coming tonight Dr. Takahashi. I'm sorry that things didn't go well, with Hojo having to leave and all." Why was she still talking to him? Was it to keep him here? Did she not want him to leave?

"Keh, not a big deal. I understand." He remembered when he was in school, working on labs, living in the lab rooms, using Bunsen burners to heat water for instant ramen and liquid nitrogen to re-cool warm drinks.

"Are you okay?"

Kagome glanced up at him, losing herself in his intent, inviting gaze. She hadn't expected him, out of all of the guests, to ask her that. Turning to the mess that was her kitchen, she worked on cleaning things up to keep her mind from other things.

"Hm. I'm fine. He'll be back later on tonight." She only said it to make herself feel better. She really had no idea when he would be home.

Inuyasha was no fool, at least most of the time. He didn't need his youkai senses to tell him it was bothering her a great deal. Still, he really couldn't do anything about it. There was only one thing he could do.

"I gotta go. Thanks for the dinner Kagome. I'll probably have Saori call you later next week to set up the next appointment."

Kagome walked with Inuyasha to the door. She opened the coat closet, handing him his jacket. He just slipped it over his arm instead of putting it on.

"Good night Kagome."

She tilted her head to him, trying her best to put on one last smile for the night. "Good night Dr. Takahashi." And she drifted in the entrance way, watching him until he disappeared into the elevator.

Sighing, she finally walked back in, closing the door and locking it up tight. Who was she kidding? Hojo wouldn't be home tonight at all. Most likely, he would stop by tomorrow to shower, get some fresh clothes and head out again until late Sunday night.

Leaving the mess where it sat, knowing it could wait until tomorrow to be taken care of, Kagome escaped into the bedroom, slamming the door shut behind her. Her body fell against the door. She felt heavy. Her knees buckled from underneath her and her body fell with a thud against the wooden floor.

Crawling into a fetal position, the tears she held back from her guests could now be set free. Her body shivered with sobs as deeply negative thoughts flooded her head. She felt that Hojo had abandoned her. His work could've easily waiting as hour, but he still left. And on top of that, they hadn't had sex since that night before the post-coital exam.

So much for working on that baby they both wanted.

Kagome didn't know what to do. So she just lied there and cried. The cold tears froze her pale cheeks, sending shivers that she couldn't fight throughout her tired body. She cried hard until she had no strength to cry anymore. Her body shut down and went to sleep. Tough she knew that even in her dreams, she wouldn't find the comfort she was seeking.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's note:**

This chapter is slightly shorter than the last only because I just wanted to finish the meal before jumping into the next part.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Nine Without**

Kagome lifted the heavy backpack off the ground as soon as the secretary on the psychology floor told her that Sango was ready and waiting for her. She had gone to the school earlier that day to collect the work her students had due that day, only to find a work box stuffed with papers and back assignments as well. As the days counted down toward the end of the quarter, the amount of work she found herself doing only increased. Why couldn't the students have turned in the assignments on time at the beginning to save her from the hassle?

The door to Sango's office was already open and Kagome found the doctor sitting behind her desk, typing away furiously at the computer. It looked as if she was answering and replying to her email that she had put off for the first half of the day, which reminded Kagome of something she needed to do later on. Closing the door behind her, Kagome left the large bag by the door so she didn't have to drag it over to her seat. There was so much paper work for just a cooking class.

"Kagome, hi, I'll be with you in just one minute."

Sitting down in the chair she was starting to get used to, she flashed a quick smile at Sango. "It's all right, take your time."

Sango closed the files up and readied her other pieces of equipment for her appointment with Kagome. Moving herself from the desk, she took her position across from Kagome, settling into the seat for the first of their hour long sessions this week.

First, she thought about talking to Kagome about the dinner, and what she had Miroku find out for her. But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed like a terrible idea. The dinner was bad enough for Kagome, with Hojo having to leave right in the middle of it, Inuyasha scolding her about the cooking technique, that for Sango to tell her what she thought about the relationship would most likely hurt Kagome.

So, she decided to try a different approach.

"How are you today?" she started out. It was a non-threatening question that she used to start a lot of her session; it would allow Kagome to get comfortable with not only being in the office, but with talking to her again about personal matters.

"Fine. A bit busy." She motioned to the backpack squatting next to the door. It was going to suck dragging that thing onto the bus for the ride home, though it would be better than walking or riding her bike with it.

"Looks like it," Sango commented on the large yellow backpack. "So, is there anything that you want to talk about today?"

Nodding her head, Kagome didn't look directly at Sango, but just off to the side, perhaps at one of the pictures on that wall. "Yeah, there is." Kagome quietly shifted in her seat, already uncomfortable by the question she needed to ask. Now, how to word the question?

"Is it possible to be in love with someone, but not want to have sex with them? I mean, a romantical kind of love, not brotherly or a paternal love, romance."

Wow, didn't expect that one. Kinda came out of right field.

Sango shifted in her chair, looking for that comfortable position for what was going to be one of those sessions, the kind where she did most of the talking. But some session like that were successful as it gave the patient an opportunity to get the right information, information they needed to make some decision or to come to some conclusion about their lives.

"Yes, it is. The term for these people is asexual, and basically they are people who have no sexual attractions and very limited sexual desires. They can be intimate, more like an emotional intimacy than physical intimacy."

"Many consider it an orientation, like straight, bi or gay. Last I remember, something like 1 out of every 100 adults is asexual, and it occurs in those that seek companionship with someone of the opposite sex or the same sex, or both."

Kagome remained silent and still as Sango described what she could recall about asexual humans from her sexuality classes. That was so long ago, and working at this clinic, it was a topic that hadn't come up before. However, it wasn't something Kagome brought up for fun. There was a reason she asked her question.

"Kagome, are you and Hojo having sex?"

"Yes, we have sex," she sputtered out loudly. She wasn't a prude. At least, she didn't consider herself one.

"Then why the question?"

"I just feel that, maybe, perhaps, there's a chance that Hojo doesn't want to have sex . . . with me." It took a lot of her guts for her to come out and finally say it. She didn't know when she started to feel this way, but lately, the feelings were growing stronger. They also were having less sex since they started coming to this clinic.

"Why do you think that? You said so yourself, his work has him very busy. He may be stressed more than usual, which can lower one's sexual drive for the duration of heavy stress."

That did make sense. Was it only her that could see it? Something she made up as an excuse for her lack luster sex life? Maybe it was time for Sango to know a little more about her relationship with Hojo.

"You may be right," Kagome conceded. Still . . . "But, would you hear me out and then tell me your opinion on the matter?"

Sango nodded. She never figured that this was the problem with their relationship. Miroku had his opinion on their situation, and he was close, but he would never, ever, _ever_ accept that any male would choose not to have sex, would not want it.

"Okay, so I told you a little something about how Hojo and I met, and got together as a couple. He took me out all of the time; to the museum, theater, restaurants, zoos, parks, uh, ferry trips to even just staying home to watch a foreign flick. I found it so romantic. I felt like this could be love."

She took a deep breath and slowly released it before continuing on with her little fairy tale. "He'd kiss me on the cheek or on the hand when he'd say goodnight. I lived with my college roomies for the first two years we dated. Sometimes he'd stay the night, and we'd cuddle and snuggle with one another, just falling asleep in the warmth of each other's arms."

Sango smiled at the description of her memories. It sounded like she had a normal and ideal relationship with Hojo. So, why did she want her opinion on the matter?

"When I graduated from the university, I didn't move in with him right away, I went home to live. A few weeks after graduation, he asked me to move in and of course I said yes. He was waiting to see if he got his acceptance into the doctorate school before asking me. Then, he asked me to consider marrying him. And again, I said yes."

"Then your grandfather died?"

"Not right away. He blessed our engagement and helped to prepare for the ceremony. I grew up on a shrine, so many of the beliefs of the shrine were instilled in me, becoming my beliefs. Hojo was the same way, since his parents were patrons of the shrine. I happened to be a little more liberal thought, despite my upbringing."

"A week or two before the wedding, my grandfather died and I just couldn't be married by someone else. I really don't know why, but at that time, it could only be him. Yes, I got very depressed after the death of my brother and grandfather. I had lost a huge part of my family, a part of my life. And I know my depression hurt Hojo, and even confused him. He never brought up the wedding after the funeral. He did bring up children though. He said that my grandfather's blessing was a blessing by the gods and for him that was enough for us to be married."

"I agreed with his conclusions and so, we decided to try for a child. We both went to a doctor together and were tested for any diseases. The weekend after the tests came back, clear, we had sex for the first time."

Sango blinked a couple of times, her mouth hanging open. Shutting her eyes tight, she shook the shock out. She just couldn't believe it. Miroku wouldn't believe it either. Yet, on some level, it made sense from what she had concluded about Hojo. He was the type who would wait until marriage before having sex.

"So, you and Hojo were together for almost three years and you didn't have sex?" She had to ask to be sure she heard Kagome correctly.

"For a while, I think anyway, that it was because of our religious beliefs that the only function sex played in a relationship was to create offspring. Hojo told me he felt that way. It sounded reasonable. But, because my friends were having sex, and enjoying it, without having any children, I was confused."

"Sex is just so . . . awkward. Especially that first time. Neither of use really knew what we were doing. You can see it on TV, movies, you can read about it, but it when it gets down to you and your partner in bed, you just don't know. So, we'd have sex, and then wait to see if I'd become pregnant. Then we'd try again. But it wasn't happening for us. I thought . . . I thought that Hojo might be more motivated to do it more often then we have been."

"Kagome, why don't you just come out and ask me the question you really want to ask me?"

"Eh?"

"You are telling me your story so that I may answer your real question, or maybe two. Are you or Hojo asexual? And is that the reason why you aren't having as much sex as you think you two should be?"

Kagome opened her mouth, hoping a nice, well-sounding rebuttal would come rolling out. But nothing. There was nothing to say. Maybe she didn't know what question she was trying to ask, but Sango could be right. Kagome figured she had just taken the scenic route because she didn't know how to ask it.

"Well, let's see then. Kagome, do you respond to sexual attraction?"

As soon as the word _sexual_ left Sango's lips, Kagome's brain went right to work, the gears grinding as she recalled the cent of a particular doctor's leather jacket. The gears in her head started the gears in her lower abdomen. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, hoping it would just all go away. She would just have to wait until her brain was de-scented . . .

"Y-yes," her shaky voice rattled out. At least she thought she did. Now that Sango asked her about it, doubts started to surface. But what was she doubting? "I guess so."

"And do you act or want to act on these attractions?"

"Sometimes." When appropriate and legal and . . .

"Then you are not asexual." Sango leaned forward in her chair. "As for Hojo, I can't say."

Kagome watched as the delicate threads holding the hem of her blouse together easily unraveled and broke. A sign of impending doom? – Or maybe just the need for a new shirt. She was so confused. Her original question still hadn't been answered. If she was asexual, if Hojo was asexual, well, that might be okay, yet, it wasn't what she was worried about.

"If I am, well, you said I'm not . . . and if Hojo is . . . can we still have love, be in love, really deep love?"

Sango was taken aback by Kagome's question. She wasn't worried about sex, but love? Many women and men who sat in Kagome's chair were so worried about sex; their sexual performance, their ability to please their partner, the ability to orgasm or at least fake it well enough. Why was Kagome worried about love?

"Yes, a person, a couple can have deep, romantic love without sex. In fact, many asexual people claim to have healthier, deeper love because there isn't a sex factor to confuse or complicate matters. Many relationships can become solely dependent on sex and sex alone. As long as the sex is good, they will stay together, even if there is no love."

"Oh, okay."

Sango leaned back into her chair keeping quiet as she studied Kagome. After the previous session, the one and the dinner, she was no closer to unraveling the secrets of Kagome's mind, her feelings and her thoughts.

What reasons did Kagome have to stay silent? Something else other than family deaths; other than being unable to have a child was bothering her. Deep down there was a problem, the real problem, and it was hiding in Kagome's brain, releasing pieces of parts of clues as to what it really was; the true identity of the beast lurking in the shadows.

Could Sango help her to not only reveal the beast, but to slay it as well? She didn't know. Most couples in here knew what was wrong with them or at least knew which path to walk down to find its lair. Kagome barely knew anything about her problem.

"Kagome?"

"Mmm?"

"You said you feel sexual attraction. Do you want to act on it?"

"Eh?" _Oh, gods, she knew. How did she find out_? She hadn't told anyone about it, not even her mother. Especially not her mother. Kagome did not want her mother to know.

"Are you sexually attracted to Hojo?"

Was she sexually attracted to Hojo? In high school, he was tall and in decent shape as he had ran track. He was an upperclassman, last year, the cream of the crop to a first year such as her, making him untouchable. She remembered when she first laid her eyes on him; warm bright caramel eyes and perfect toffee-colored hair. Popular, intelligent and sweet.

What was there that a girl couldn't be attracted to?

Hojo was Prince Charming, the man of any girl's dreams. He had good pedigree as he came from a family of doctors and teachers. He was gentle, kind and so romantic that at times, she felt like she was that girl in the fairy tales. The girl who woke up at the smallest kiss, or had the glass slipper placed onto her tiny foot by the one she was destined to be with. The one she could live happily ever after with.

However, in the story of Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty, there was no sexual element. The chemistry of the main characters was cute, with the 'ahh' factor, but not the sexual, wet panty sensation. Did there have to be sex, or even sexual attraction to have the fairy tale?

Did she really want the fairy tale?

No, she wanted normal. She wanted a child with the man she loved. But she also wanted to have the experiences that Eri so proudly shared. She didn't need all of it, but she was becoming aware that her relationship with Hojo was missing something. Unless that something was just a part of her imagination.

Unlike Eri, she did want a relationship what would last. Eri's were one month flings. That might work for her, but Kagome needed love, not just physical gratification. Eri had the carnal, but not the spiritual.

Kagome looked up at Sango, unable to answer her question because she really didn't know anymore. Hojo was the guy from the stories, Hojo was the nice guy girls searched for, but complained that they could never find. Well, Kagome found one, a real one. And still, her life wasn't all rainbows and puppies.

Something was definitely wrong with her.

"Kagome, you're not the first woman to suddenly find herself not as attracted to the man in your life. It's easy to get comfortable, too comfortable with the person we live with, the person we see in their ugliest moments. You can still be very much in love with Hojo and not feel the need to hump his bone every night."

"There is a solution to this." Kagome looked up eagerly. There was help. "You need to rekindle your desires for Hojo. Most people do this by going out to the same place they had their first date, or a weekend trip to a hotel or bed and breakfast. The point being, you and Hojo need to go out and experience sex in a new setting. Just to be reminded of what you are attracted to."

Kagome frowned. It wasn't that she wasn't into the idea. In fact, it sounded wonderful, romantic even. Yet, the problem was that it would never happen. Not right now. Not with Hojo and his work. His work was the second most important thing to him. Having his child with Kagome was first. And a child could be conceived without the physical act of sex. Procreation didn't even need love, or romance or passion either.

"Sango, Hojo and I, we can't have sex." Kagome looked up at the confused looking doctor. "I mean, we can, but it's just . . . it's just not happening for us. I'm so worried about trying to have this child that I'm too . . . I'm too stressed to be in the mood for it as well."

"Have you told this to Dr. Takahashi?"

"Uh, no . . . I haven't."

"Well, you need to. You most likely feel stressed about sex because in the past because it hasn't given you the results you desire."

"I don't understand how doing the same thing with a different doctor is any different."

"He needs to know this. And soon. You're wasting his time, and yours, if you don't."

"Okay."

"But, I still recommend that getaway the moment you can. It's good for all relationships, one's with or without sexual problems. I would highly consider it before things start to really get hectic for the both of you."

"I will try."

"I'm not going to order you to do it, but do look into it. Also, talk to Dr. Takahashi as soon as you can. When is your next appointment with him?"

"Next week, next Tuesday."

"Tell him now so that on Tuesday he can begin discussing a course of treatments that will actually work."

Kagome liked the sound of that. Sex for her and Hojo wasn't working, mainly because they weren't having any. Hojo was off working late hours only to come home, eat, shower and sleep so he could get up early and repeat the process. Also, Kagome didn't feel like having sex. She never asked Hojo about it and he didn't say anything about it either.

"I guess I could give him a call or something."

"Well, if you don't have anything else to discuss, you can head over to his office now and talk to him."

"Yeah, that could work."

"All right. So, we're meeting again on Friday?"

"Yes, Friday, same time."

"Great. Oh, I just want to say that dinner was fabulous. Miroku and I finished our leftovers before the night ended. And I'm just about out of that salad dressing. It really does add flavor to those things they pass off as salads here."

"If you want, I can bring you a new bottle on Friday."

"Really? You don't have to."

"No, it's fine. Really. I've been wanting to make this new cranberry sauce dressing. I think you'll like it. It's perfect for spring and it'll go great with tiny mandarin oranges and nuts on a salad."

"I can't wait for that then. See you Friday."

"Later Sango."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome stepped off the elevator and entered the offices of Dr. Takahashi and the other fertility specialists. She found Saori at the reception desk humming quietly to herself as she entered file information into the computer.

"Uh, Saori, excuse me. Hi."

"Hello Kagome. What can I do for you?"

"Is . . . uh . . . is Dr. Takahashi available?"

"Let me see." Saori put down the file she was working on and started to tap on the keyboard. "Actually, yeah, he should be. He has no appointments for the rest of the afternoon. If you want, you can just skip on down to his office and pop in."

"Thanks." Kagome lugged her heavy backpack down the hallway as she made it toward the hanyou's office. She stopped as she saw a woman standing just outside the doorway to his office, talking to him, laughing, flirting. Kagome watched as the woman blew a kiss to him before turning and strutting away.

Kagome didn't know why, but she decided not to go see him. He was obviously in his office. Her chest shocked her with pain with every breath she took as she hurried down the hallway.

"Oh, Kagome, was he not in his office?"

"No, he wasn't and I can't wait. I just realized the time and I have a bus to catch."

"Do you need to leave a message?"

"No, it's not that important. I'll just see him next week. Thanks anyway Saori." Kagome bolted out of the office and dove into the open elevator.

She didn't know what was wrong with her, but it hurt her heart just to keep beating. Her mind was flooded with dirty images of that woman and Dr. Takahashi. Kagome had never seen a porn flick, and yet, her brain was doing a pretty good job of producing one for her.

The problem seemed to be that she wasn't the star. Also, she could never imagine herself acting like that with Hojo. Dr. Takahashi had this rough, unrefined edge about him while Hojo was squeaky clean. Was this just a case of the good girl attracted to the bad boy? Relationships with bad boys were nothing more than quick burning flings.

Once Kagome made it back to the apartment, she hunkered down at the dining room table to work on grading the mountainous stack of papers. She figured it would take her all night to get these taken care of, which was fine with her. It's not like she had any plans for the evening anyway.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**One Week Later**

Friday's appointment with Sango was a complete disaster. After seeing that girl flirt with Dr. Takahashi, she was upset. But she was afraid to talk to Sango about it. Sango could tell Inuyasha and that might affect her treatments. However, she couldn't think of anything else to talk about. They ended up mumbling through some questions and spent most of the hour in silence.

But what she was dreading the most was finally upon her, the appointment with Dr. Takahashi. Well, Hojo and her and Dr. Takahashi. Somehow, she needed to tell Dr. Takahashi that having sex enhanced with nutrients wasn't working out because they (her and Hojo) weren't having sex at all. She couldn't tell Dr. Takahashi that she wasn't in the mood for sex with Hojo as Hojo at in the room with her. All of her reasons for not having sex involved the two men that would be in the room.

"Kagome."

It's not like she had any right to be angry at Dr. Takahashi for being attracted to that woman. She was prettier – no – sexier than anything Kagome could ever be. Other than Eri's stories and her gift books, what did Kagome really know about sex? Dr. Takahashi seemed experienced, like a teacher of sorts . . .

"Kagome . . . "

Besides, she was in a relationship with a nice, sweet man who took care of her. They were going to have a child together. It was going to be perfect. Nothing was going to ruin their plans.

"Kagome." Kagome glanced up to see Saori standing there with a smile on her face. "Dr. Takahashi is ready to see you now." Kagome stood up, preparing herself for the task ahead. "Where's Hojo?"

_And what were you saying about nothing ruining those plans?_

"I'm not sure." Kagome reached into her purse, pulling out her cell phone. Hojo's number was speed dial #2, her mother was #1. She listened to the set number of rings before hearing Hojo's voice; the voice of his messaging system. She waited for the tone and then, "Hojo, it's me. We had an appointment with Dr. Takahashi today. Give me a call as soon as you get this. Bye."

Saori noticed the disappointed look on Kagome's face. She'd seen many women who had to face the task of conceiving a child alone. With most women, it was an emotional loneliness. For Kagome, it was both.

"Do you want to reschedule?"

"No, it's okay. He said he might be a little late."

"Okay, go right on ahead then."

Kagome gave a grim looking grin to Saori before heading to Inuyasha's office. Hojo knew about the appointment. She reminded him last night and told him about it this morning before he left for work. Now she had to lie for him.

Composing herself the best she could, Kagome put a nicer smile on her face, pulled her shoulders back and readied herself to face Dr. Takahashi. She felt scared and lonely without Hojo with her. Even though they could conceive a child without sex, she still needed him by her side.

Inuyasha looked up as the door opened, walking around from behind his large desk to greet his patients. Nether would know what he had to go through to prepare himself for this appointment. Once more cold shower and he was sure his testicles would freeze off.

"Kagome, Ho . . . "It was just Kagome. And while she had a smile on her face, Hojo's absence was a surprise to her as well. "Oi, where's Hojo? This is supposed to be a joint appointment."

Kagome closed the door behind her. "He's going to be late. Something came up."

Inuyasha frowned at her obvious lie. Though he could sense her frustration at her partner, he decided not to question her about it. It wasn't his job to play love doctor to distraught couples. If Kagome was suffering like this, then Sango wasn't doing her damn job.

"Well, uh, have a seat and we'll get started." Inuyasha motioned her to one of the chairs, which she quietly sat down in. Inuyasha took his seat behind the desk, her file open and ready.

"So, Kagome, how, uh, how are things?"

Staring at the back of his computer monitor, she lazily lifted her shoulders up in a small shrug. "Okay I guess."

_She guesses_? That was a strange answer. He glanced down at her folder. He had her doing what Sango had said Kagome called _enhanced sex_. It sounded a bit kinky. He cleared his throat. She'd been in presence for two minutes and already he was as hard as a rock and turning work terms into something sexual.

"Have you and Hojo been sexually active?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, we have been," she chuckled out the lie to soften it for herself. Why did it feel so embarrassing to admit too? Because she felt like she was failing? To admit that she wasn't having sex was to say that she wasn't serious about having a baby.

"Kagome . . . "Inuyasha started to say but was interrupted by the sounds of a little kid singly some sickly sweet song that no doubt would be stuck in his head all day.

"Oh, excuse me." Kagome dug deep into her purse and fished out the phone. "Hey."

Inuyasha's ears perked up. Kagome stood up and walked over to a corner of his office, seeking some privacy for the conversation. Like she could get some with his hearing. Didn't she remember their little tiff about Superman? He examined her with his hearing not a month ago. Had she'd forgotten already?

_Better add an MRI exam to that eye exam._

"Where are you?" she forcefully whispered into the tiny device, using her hand to cover her mouth, hoping to keep the nice looking hanyou doctor from eavesdropping.

'_I'm so sorry Kagome. I can't get into details as you know. We've had a bit of a set back. I'm going to be stuck here_.'

She sighed, her stormy eyes glancing up at the ceiling as the rain threatened to fall. "What am I going to do?"

'_I trust you to do what is right concerning the child we want. If Dr. Takahashi needs my . . . uh, fluids, just let me know, okay_?'

She just didn't need his semen, she needed him. Didn't he know that? To have him hold her hand, to hear his whispers of reassurances, to see that perfect smile of his; she needed it all. Instead, his work's need overshadowed her own. She was being placed second to a sterile lab and a Petri dish.

"Sure," she quickly snapped the word out of her mouth. She was mad, frustrated and believe that she had every reason to be.

"_I'll be home late. Please don't stay up late on my behalf, okay? Have a good day at work tomorrow. I love you_."

"Bye." Kagome pushed the disconnect button and removed the phone from her ear. She brushed her fingers over the keypad. Why was all of this happening to her now? Kagome took a deep breath, remembering that she had an appointment, one that she wasn't going to miss.

Inuyasha busied himself with emails and little things while Kagome took her call. It was a short conversation, on that he couldn't completely hear because the person on the other end was quiet; the person being Hojo. He figured that out by Kagome asking him where he was at.

"Excuse me for a moment Dr. Takahashi. I need to use the ladies room."

"Of course."

Kagome quickly left, slamming the door shut behind her. Inuyasha quickly picked up his phone and dialed one of the phone extension numbers he had memorized. He waited several rings, tapping his claws impatiently against the glossy varnish of his desk. What the fuck was taking so long?

"What is it Inuyasha? I have an appointment in two minutes."

"Damnit Sango, what the _fuck_ is wrong with Kagome?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Sex. She hasn't had sex in two weeks, yet she tells me that they've been busy at it."

"I don't know Inuyasha. Why don't you ask her?"

"Because that's your fuckin' job."

"Yours too. Don't you try to blame this on me."

"No. She's physically able to have sex. Same with that Hobo guy. This is something else."

Sango sighed. "Look I told her to talk to you before her appointment today and obviously she didn't. I'm not 100 absolutely sure, but after my sessions with her, I purposely didn't give you a summary because I had to do some research. Kagome and Hojo, their relationship is asexual."

"Asexual?"

"I think. Kagome asked me about it. The bottom line is that they don't enjoy sex. They have a healthy happy relationship without the worries of sex. Okay? Oh, gotta go."

_Kagome not like sex? Fuck_.

She exuded sexiness he'd never seen in a woman before. Not just because she was physically beautiful, but her scent, her voice, the kindness in her eyes, every cell of her body contributed to an overall sexiness that was rarely seen in today's cosmetic Botox-ed society. But for someone like her to no enjoy sex, that was a crime against nature.

Setting the phone back down on the receiver, he glanced over at the new email waiting to be read. He rolled his golden eyes at the sender of said email. Double clicking the bold words of the subject, the email popped up with a brief message and an offending picture.

_How's Kagome looking today? In case you have a 'hard' problem, this picture and accompanying video may help to 'soften the blow'._

_Miroku_

Inuyasha immediately trashed the junk mail Miroku sent him. _Fuckin' pervert_. He should keep his filthy mind in his own gutter instead of sharing it electronically with others. Miroku was right though. He had a big problem. And glancing down at his pants, it was hard. Painfully hard and one that he couldn't easily take care of. Not now and probably not for several hours. Damn, the strain was already starting to hurt.

Kagome entered the office as silently as she could, trying to hastily recover from her balancing act on the edge of having another emotional breakdown. A little something she neglected to share with her psychologist. She wouldn't tell a soul about that. But she found herself struggling to keep her emotions properly contained.

Inuyasha eyed Kagome the moment that door cracked open. She had splashed some water on her face, though it did nothing to wash away the evidence of tears. She took her seat once again, slipping her phone back into her purses which she now clutched tightly against her stomach. Her eyes never rose to meet with his.

He wanted to comfort her, to reach out and take her in his arms, hold her tight little body against his. There was so much he could do the help her, but he couldn't. She was off limits, no matter how much his body ached and yearned for her. Her problems were hers to deal with and Sango, not him, was the one there to help.

Kagome glanced up at Inuyasha quickly, her eyes avoiding his and instead focused on his bangs, a neutral zone. "Sorry, we can . . . we can start the appointment now."

He agreed. "Right. Uh, I'll just start over." Clearing his throat, he glanced down at her file, which he hadn't made a note in yet. Sighing, he figured he couldn't be as nice as he was trying to be. It was time to get nasty.

"Are you having sex with Hojo?"

Kagome's mouth dropped open and she was sure she heard the crickets creaking. She thought she was prepared for his brash, up front, in your face attitude. She wasn't. Looking away, she fought back the tears that once again fought to break free. Biting down to keep her lip from trembling, she quickly sucked in a rush of cool air.

"No."

"Fine. So, that's not working. That's, uh, okay. We'll start you on ovulation regulation medications. Do you prefer oral or injections?"

"Oral, please."

Inuyasha reached into his desk, pulling out a tablet of light blue paper. He scribbled out the prescription, signing it with his lazy signature. "Okay, let's see, if I prescribe to you the clomiphene citrate, we'll be looking at another three to six months before we can move forward."

"I can't wait that long!" Kagome cried out.

Inuyasha flattened his ears against his head at the shrill in her voice. "Just wait, I'm explaining things to you so you can make a decision. Jeez. Calm down for one fuckin' moment."

"Fine."

"Since you're so eager to get started, we'll have to go to the injectables. Using an injectable along with ART procedures might be our best option. That course of action has several options. The best for you will be hMG and FSH along with IVF."

"Hello, non-geek here."

"FSH is a follicle stimulating hormone, same with hMG. Makes you produce more eggs for me to retrieve. Then I take them to the lab, inject Hojo's swimmers . . . "

"I do know what IVF is. I've done this before, remember?"

"You asked." He wrote these notes down in her folder. "You'll have to come here to get your injections."

"I thought I could do them at home."

"Normally, yeah, but unless you have phlebotomy training, I'd rather have a nurse stick you with the needle. Also, when you come in, we can take tests to monitor your hormones and follicles. Now, when does your cycle start?"

Cycle? Maybe that was why she was so emotional. Her period was starting soon. "Uh, either tomorrow or the next day."

"Good."

Kagome huffed at his proclamation. Maybe for him it was great, but for her, it was a sign that she wasn't pregnant and that for the next week, it was chocolate therapy and heating pads. She didn't have to worry about sex as she wasn't getting any to being with.

"Come in tomorrow and we'll start you on the medications. Then in two weeks I can collect some eggs and we can get you knocked up."

"Gods, the way you say that . . . "

"What?"

Kagome shook her head. "Forget it."

"Fine. Anyway, I'll need Hojo to stop by in about two weeks so we can get a fresh sample from him. So, in three weeks we could be ready."

"Really? That soon? Wow, that's . . . that's great," Kagome beamed. She never thought that it could happen that quickly. In a few months, she could finally be with child. Her life, her dreams, it would soon be realized. She'd reach that point where her life could be considered complete.

Standing up, Kagome gathered up her purse, making sure she had all of her belongings. Inuyasha stood up as well. He had some time between appointments to get a snack. _I wonder if they still have those ice cream bars_ . . . Glancing over at Kagome, he felt his chest tighten as she bent over to search for something in her purse. Licking his dry lips, he had to notice how her backside curved round and then down. His chest wasn't the only thing tightening up. _Fuck_.

Inuyasha cleared his throat, hoping that Kagome would stand up. He'd need more than an ice cream to cool things down. And there wasn't enough time for a shower, or Miroku's suggestion for everything: The ejaculatory room. He needed Kagome out of his office so he could reestablish control of himself and his youkai hormones.

Hearing Inuyasha, Kagome stood up and turned to face him. She wasn't prepared to stand up with him being so close. She gasped at the close proximity to her very tall doctor. Her stormy eyes trailed up along the straight line of the plastic buttons of his white shirt to the top one, which was unbuttoned, exposing his fleshy throat.

Her eyes watched with great fascination of the bobbing up and down of his Adam's apple as he swallowed. She gulped before her eyes went any further. At the sensation of burning cheeks, she darted her eyes to the carpeted floor.

"I . . uh . . . " She looked up and was trapped. Her lips parted as her blue grey orbs dove deep into his molten gold ones. "Yeah," her soft voice drawled out. "I don't know how to thank you."

This hanyou was going to grant her wish. A smile tugged at her lips as the idea of a baby growing in her womb very soon took a firmer grip on her thoughts. She couldn't stop the bubbling and overflow of joyous emotions that crept out. She had to release it somehow.

"Then don't lie to me, ever, if you want me to help you."

"But, I . . . "

"You and Homo haven't had sex in two weeks." Her gasp caused him to tap his own nose. "I can smell it, or the lack of it."

Kagome cheeks glowed with embarrassment. Not because she lied, but because he knew that she wasn't having sex. That she disobeyed his medical order.

"Just promise me that you won't lie to me anymore, all right."

Kagome nodded her head as those joyous emotions that had disappeared came back once again. "Thank you," she cried, flinging herself at him, her arms wrapping around his neck. Her tiny body landed against his without as much as a thud.

Inuyasha didn't know what to do. His muscles tensed, his youkai froze. Her bodies, those curves, were flush against his body. Controlling his raging hard on was no longer his main concern. Now, he just needed to make sure he didn't pull her closer to him, let his hands run down the length of her body . . . _Not helping._

He opened his mouth to respond, but instead, he inhaled that scent of her shampoo. Stupid inu-youkai scent instincts. The smell hung in the air as his mind scrambled to think logically. _Think_ . . . _god damnit_. . .

_She's soft_ . . . _warm_ . . . _smell's good_ . . .

Inuyasha couldn't even rely on his own mind to do the right thing. Balling his fists at his side, it was the first thing he could think of that would keep him out of trouble. He then turned his face away, so that his nostrils couldn't inhale her scent directly from its source.

His eyes went wide at a person he'd never expected to see standing there, in the doorway of his office. _Shit_ . . .

"Oh, so _this_ is the appointment that kept you away from me," a woman's voice sharply spoke at the doctor with his patient wrapped around him.

Kagome went stiff at the sound of the strange woman's voice. She cranked her head around and the color drained from her face at the sight of the busty-leggy lady she found at his office the other day. She looked up at Inuyasha and noticed the uncomfortable 'I've been caught' look on his face.

Ripping herself away from her doctor, she grabbed her purse. Glancing at the beautiful woman then back to Inuyasha, she stumbled backwards from the tall doctor, the stem of her heel catching in the think carpet. Thinking quickly, Kagome lifted up her arm, taking a look at her wrist. "I gotta go," she muttered out as she turned to run out of his office. A string of the words _very_, _deeply_ and _sorry_ jammed together could be heard trailing her exit.

Inuyasha just watched her leave without a word, not even a blink. The woman giggled as she stepped deeper into the office. She closed the door behind her before talking. "You're ignoring me."

Realization hit Inuyasha as he awake from whatever stun he had been put under. "Ah, shit!" he yelled as he ran to the door, opened it and hauled down the stretch of hallway leading him to Saori's desk.

"Where's Kagome?"

"Gone. She rushed out of here mentioning the bus," Saori explained as she entered patient information into the clinic database.

"She's scheduled to begin FSH and hMG injections tomorrow. Call her and set up an appointment."

"Her file is in your office."

"Keh, her info is also in that computer of yours." He shook his head at her as he turned to go back to his office. _She's the fuckin' secretary_ . . .

Inuyasha entered his office quietly, ignoring the woman who had interrupted his _moment_ with Kagome. Quickly glancing down, he no longer needed anything cold. That problem was taken care of. Sitting down at his desk, he made his final notes in Kagome's folder before closing it and tossing it on top of the stack.

"Inu . . . what are you doing?"

Inuyasha turned to his computer, typed up and sent out an email to Saori, Sango and Miroku about Kagome's newest course of fertility treatments.

"Working."

"Ah, working." The woman moved her chair closer to his desk. "No time for me?"

"Not really."

"Inuyasha . . . I need to talk to you."

"About what?" He kept his eyes fixed on the computer even though he was done with his email.

"That thing . . . I talked to you about. I want to know if you'll still help me."

"What . . . thing?"

The woman chuckled as a blush crept along the apple of her cheeks. "Inuyasha, are you asking me to explain it. I've talked to you about it several times."

"Indulge me."

"You're mean. And a bit of a tease." The woman glanced down and sighed. "I need you," she softly confessed. "At first, I thought I'd be fine on my own, but, the more I thought about it, the more I realized how wrong I was."

"I can't do this now. I have a patient coming in soon."

The woman snapped her head up with a smile. "So you'll reconsider?"

"I already told you _no_. I've told you _no_ a fuckin' dozen times. Shit Kagura, no more."

Kagura jumped out of the chair, slamming her hands down hard onto his desk. He cautiously eyed the full-fledge wind demoness as she had the ability to actually inflect damage on him. Instead, he tried to keep calm, though it took every ounce of his being to not jump at her, slashing his claws around.

"But Inuyasha . . . "

"No buts. You . . . _you_ were the one that got yourself into this fuckin' mess of yours. And it's yours alone."

Inuyasha stood up, his youkai saturating the outline of his body as he stared down the demoness.

Kagura straightened up, fixing her blouse and her skirt. She nodded her head as she considered Inuyasha's words, and his thickening aura. She knew about his stubbornness, though she was trying to appeal to his human emotions.

"Fine, I'll leave, for now." Kagura pulled her purse up so that the thick leather straps wrapped around her shoulder. "I will be back though. I won't let this go easily Inuyasha." She turned on her four inch heel and gushed out of his office, the door slamming shut behind her with a gust of wind.

Inuyasha fell back down into his chair, his youkai calming down from Kagura's absence. Brushing a clawed hand through is unmanageable silver bangs, he let out a large sigh, his body sinking into his leather chair. While he wanted to curse Kagura's presence, her timing was perfect.

Tipping his head back, Inuyasha took a slow, steady deep breath. Kagome. He didn't know if he was just simply attracted to her physically, or if it was just because he hadn't gotten laid in what seemed like ages. He didn't know her very well. So it was for that reason that he assumed his tiny infatuation with the taken but unmarried girl even existed. He didn't believe in love at first sight. No, this was just a case of lust at first sight.

He wasn't good with lust, and his attempts at love were just as bad. Most of the girls he'd been with were with him for two reasons. One – his money. Yeah, he pulled in a very comfortable payroll, and his expenses were at a minimum. Instead, he signed most of his checks into his savings account. And two – he was different. To the majority of the female species, he was exotic. Something to try and play with until they were bored or their curiosities satisfied.

That was the story of his life. Work disenabled him to meet potential dates. Looking for a long term mate was impossible. He stopped going out as the number of failed relationships and one-night stands increased. From that, he grew cheap. No need to spend money on dinners and drinks if he wasn't going out to impressing those with the XX-chromosome. Making babies for other couples was his life.

Miroku was right, though he'd never admit to that. And second, he really needed that damned vacation.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's note:**

Wow, this is a lot longer than I intended, but I just couldn't stop typing. Just to clarify some of the terms:

ART – assisted reproductive technologies. Basically, anything that a doctor has to prescribe or a procedure that is done to help a couple become pregnant.

FSH – follical stimulating hormone. A hormone either injected or taken orally that stimulates a woman's ovaries so that she'll produce eggs.

hMG – human menopausal gonadtropins. Used for controlled ovulation stimulation in conjunction with a FSH.

IVF – in-vitro fertilization. Eggs are taken from the ovary through a procedure and then sperm is injected into the egg at a lab. The fertilized egg then goes through a few divisions before the fertilized egg is inserted into the woman's vagina. This will be explained more when Kagome goes in for the procedure.

A message from Dr. Sango: Love is love, sex is sex. Don't confuse the two.

Responses to reviews:

I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter.

roshully


	10. Chapter 10

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Ten Examinations**

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid."

Kagome had discretely chanted the demeaning anthem as she marched up the stairs to her apartment. Dr. Takahashi was her fertility doctor and recent star in her wild masturbatory fantasies, ears and silver hair showcased almost exclusively. Of course he'd have beautiful women coming to his office to see him for fertility reasons, or even other reasons beyond the needs of just getting impregnated by a catheter. He was hot. She couldn't deny that. He oozed it, despite his tough guy attitude, or was it because of his attitude. And if she could see it, then some other woman could see it as well.

So why was she so upset about these other women?

It was Tuesday, a day off for her from the school. There were no papers to grade and no other lessons to plan, giving her the rest of the afternoon to focus on her own school work, mainly her portfolio for her capstone class. As soon as it was completed, she could finally graduate with a fancy piece of paper declaring her a certified chef.

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid."

But the scene from his office seemed to be stuck in some kind of infinite playback loop. It only made her all hot and bothered. Hot from being busted for lying, hot from the embarrassment of being caught with her arms wrapped around him in such a manner and hot from that discovery that underneath that lab coat and formal dress, there was a male with hard chiseled muscles. And it all bothered her that she was so hot from all of it.

Reheating the leftovers from last night's meal, she put her purse away on the counter and entered the living room to check the answering machine for any messages. There was just one.

'_Hi Kagome. It's Yuka. Just calling to remind you that it's our Thursday this week. I know you didn't forget. Also, with Ayame and Ayumi both preggers, I figured you could cater a joint baby shower since you're such a good little host. Well, think about it and bring it up on Thursday. Oh, how's how baby-baking coming along. Ha, get it, that pun? Later_.'

Kagome ignored the message for the time being. No, she hadn't forgotten about Thursday being _their_ Thursday, their dinner night. But a baby shower? She'd figured Yuka to be a tad more sensitive about the subject. Well, yes, she would want to celebrate the blessings of her two friends, but why did she always have to be the one to plan it? Why should she when it would only serve to remind her that she wasn't the one who had swollen ankles and unearthly cravings?

Mindlessly wandering into the kitchen, she grabbed the leftovers and carried them with her as she headed into the small study just off from the bedroom, across from the bathroom. It was where Hojo did the work he brought home with him, which was more often that she liked.

The study was a smaller second bedroom that had dark blue paint splashed on the walls. A giant desk against the back wall housed the computer they shared. Kagome had an extra table placed against the opposite wall allowing her to spread out her papers when she needed to. There was a lamp, a plant and shelving that had books belonging to the both of them. Hojo's books were to the left of the desk and Kagome's were sitting to the right. His were alphabetized by subject and Kagome's were just scattered about in a random order that made a whole lot of sense to just her.

_The second bedroom could easily become a nursery._

She sat down at the computer, flipping the monitor on with a crackling sound as the electrons zapped the dust on the screen. Immediately she frowned at the sight of all of Hojo's work still up, several windows with chemical formulae and detailed descriptions wallpapered the screen. She wasn't supposed to look at it and yet he left it for anyone to read it if they so inclined to. Sighing, she quickly minimized the windows, unsure if he had saved his work or not. She wasn't going to chance anything. Still, it was reckless of him to do that.

Preparing to work on her portfolio included laying every part of her portfolio out on the table into neat, organized stacks. Once that was done, she turned the music on, her playlist of random music that just ended up fading into the background as white noise as her mind focused on matching wines and sake with appetizers and desserts.

With the music on, snacks readily available and all of her work ready for her, she could start and work solidly for several hours, losing herself in her work and hopefully forgetting about the embarrassing event in Dr. Takahashi's office.

If only Hojo was there, like he was supposed to be, instead, it was just another part of the day she'd rather forget.

"Stupid. Stupid. Stupid," she chanted as she started her work. However, the words weren't just for her anymore.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Hojo walked sluggishly down the dimly lit hallway as he finally made his way home from another long and exhausting day of work. Though he really couldn't complain too much about it. It was the job he had worked on for a large chunk on his life. High school science fairs, the college internships, all of the extra hours and even the extra classes were all choices he had made because this was what he wanted.

"Kagome."

Hojo looked up from the floor, and out of his thoughts at the sound of someone else calling out his girlfriend's name, someone familiar. He hurried down the hallway, dragging his tired feet along the carpeted hallway, curious as to what was going on at his apartment.

"Excuse me," Hojo yelled softly to the figure. "Excuse me," he called out again, his voice unable to raise any louder.

The figure turned.

_Oh, it was him_.

"Ah, Dr. Takahashi," Hojo greeted with a faint pant and a wide smile. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his set of keys. "Uh, what brings you here?"

"Kagome."

Hojo blinked his droopy eyes a few times to register the fact that Kagome's fertility doctor was at their apartment, looking for her this late in the evening and using her name so casually. Perhaps it was a matter of importance for the doctor to come all the way out to their place.

"Kagome?" Hojo unlocked the door. "Please, come in." Hojo flipped on the lights and off his shoes at the entrance, sliding them into the corner behind the door. "Could you wait here for a moment? I'll go get her."

Inuyasha just shrugged his shoulders as he watched Hojo do his polite dance. Inuyasha could sense Hojo's hesitation in regards to his presence. Like he cared. Still, it was entertaining to watch Hojo try to be nice to him.

"Kagome. Kagome!" he called out, starting with the kitchen, the place where he normally found her whipping up something she'd want him to try. Many people he worked with appreciated her tasty leftovers. Hojo heard endless comments about how lucky he was to have found such a sweet girl who was also a fabulous cook.

She wasn't in the kitchen, or the dining room. Nor the living room, and bedroom. Since the bathroom door was open when he walked past it, he knew she wasn't in there. Last place, the study. He groaned.

It was a place for them to share, but he had expressed his concerns to her. That work . . . his work . . . it was private. He had invested too much into it. It was his life, no more than that, it gave him life. He felt bad that he couldn't share his work with her, but she understood, and he appreciated that.

Quietly, he opened the door, not wanting to frighten her. But all he found was an empty, yet messy room with only the desk lamp on. Hojo sighed as he exited the room. It was too long of a day to worry about this.

"I'm sorry Dr. Takahashi. She doesn't seem to be here. Have you tired her cell phone?"

"Yeah. About a dozen times. As well as the home number," Inuyasha stated a bit aggravated as he crossed his arms, the leather of his jacket making no noise as he had worn it for so many years. He had freed his silver locks from the confining braid the minute he stepped out of the elevator doors of the parking garage. He figured he didn't look much like a doctor at the moment.

"Strange," Hojo muttered. He headed back into the kitchen. "It is something I can pass onto her?"

Inuyasha grunted something. He wanted to see her. It was why he had taken this route home from work. She had rushed out of his office, apologizing for something. What did she think she had done wrong?

"You haven't talked to her?"

Hojo sheepishly grinned at the grumpy looking doctor. "Uh, actually I haven't. You . . . you're a doctor. You understand about doing labs, experiments, doing analysis and writing up conclusions. It's easy to get lost in all of the work."

"I guess." Actually he did understand it well. However, he was never in a long term relationship when doing lab work, so he never had to worry about leaving a girl alone, waiting. Not having a girlfriend meant he could be totally devoted to the science.

"Oh, a note," Hojo declared while glancing at the refrigerator. He pulled it off and read it. "She's gone to do research. Probably a grocery store or the library. Kagome tends to do things like this. She's such an independent girl."

Inuyasha realized that he wouldn't be seeing Kagome tonight. But he did find it strange that Kagome hadn't told Hojo about the change in treatments. Inuyasha figured that would've been the first thing she did once she got on the bus she was so late for.

"I'm sorry she's not here. Was it important?"

"Uh, yeah." Inuyasha pulled out an envelope and handed it to Hojo. It was sealed with only her name written across the middle. "She starts injections tomorrow."

"Oh. Injections. Okay," he beamed as if he fully understood what Inuyasha was talking about.

Inuyasha just rolled his eyes. "Just get to her to call us in the morning. And make sure she gets that envelope."

"Sure thing Dr. Takahashi. I'm sorry you had to come out of your way to visit. Kagome's . . . independence can be problematic at times."

Inuyasha didn't miss the look on Hojo's face. The downcast glance of his eyes, the heavy sigh, all signs that this was a pet peeve of his concerning Kagome. Inuyasha smirked. _So, he doesn't have his woman trained_. It was an old fashioned idea, yes, but for Inuyasha, it was instinctual.

He had nothing more to say to Hojo. If he wasn't the man's doctor, he would tell Hojo how annoyed he was with his overuse of politeness and to wipe that damn sweet boy smile off of his face. It was disgusting.

Inuyasha walked out without saying goodbye. Hojo didn't deserve it. He didn't like the men who left the females to bear the process of conceiving a child on their own. It was easy to think that the only and true role of a female was for children. It wasn't just a human belief, but many demon species treated their females solely as baby making machines.

His kind was different. Not only that, but his job allowed him to see how strong and lonely a lot of these women were. It took a lot of strength and courage for a woman to walk into his office, alone, with a smile on their face trying to fool everyone, including themselves, that everything was okay. Just like how Kagome was today. Perhaps a part of him wanted to tell her that she wasn't alone.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Kagome?"

Kagome turned around to see the smiling face she had summoned. She grinned back as she reached out to embrace the taller male. "I'm sorry for calling you here at this time."

"For you . . . anything."

"Sit down. Uh, anything to drink? My treat." Kagome asked as her dark haired male friend sat in the stool next to her. She leaned over to him, imposing on his personal space with a wicked grin across her face. "Or are we still banned from alcohol from _that_ incident?"

The man snorted. "Right. Like she can tell me what to do." The bartender stepped in front of him to take his order. "Apple-grape juice please." The bartender nodded at the strange request, and the sound of a light giggle floated to his demonic ears. "What? I'm driving."

"Sure." Kagome smiled teasingly at him. "I'm glad you could come."

"No problem. Thanks," he said as the bartender sat down a medium sized glass with the white colored liquid in it. "So, what can I do for you?"

"I have two favors to ask."

"Two? Really? Kagome asking for a favor and not only one, but two. No wonder we're at a bar. Well, then, you and I will have to find some _physica_l way to commemorate this, perhaps in the ladies restroom." He grinned as he suggestively leered at her, his sly grin growing larger by the second.

"Are you finished?" Her annoyed look meant that she might have not gotten the joke.

"What? Oh Kagome, you know I'm only teasing. It's so easy to tease you."

"Yes, well, the things you do tease me about are not appreciated by your very violent and very pregnant wife. I'm just lucky she never takes it out on me."

"That's because she has no sense of humor." He took a sip of his juice as he was now ready to be serious. "Favor number one."

"When's your wife due?"

"Kagome, that's something you can easily ask her."

"Actually I can't. I was going to throw her a baby shower, and I wanted it to be a surprise. If I ask her about it, well, she's suspicious about everything."

"I know that."

"So, when is it?"

"Let's see . . . "His bright eyes darted around as his tapped his finger against his chin.

"You don't know?" she asked out after studying him for a moment as he tried to recall the answer to her question.

"What? No, it's not like that."

"Then what's taking so long."

"Shut up, I'm counting."

"Counting? Why are you counting? What are you counting?"

"Because . . . ah, Junish, end of June. Maybe the beginning of July. Depending on the little bugger. Don't really know. She's using a concealing spell to hide its gender from me and it makes it difficult to scent how far along the thing is."

"Really? Are you sure? I mean, I can't throw her a baby shower if she's already given birth."

"Yep I'm sure. We had sex . . . "

"Stop!" She slapped her hands over her ears. "La la la la. Not hearing about this."

"Don't be like that." He laughed at her childish antics, playfully slapping at her arms to get her to stop before they attracted too much attention. "You've got to have sex to have babies. Even I know that."

Kagome stared at him wide eyed and her body numb from his declaration. Her hands dropped from her ears, falling limply into her lap. Her eyes drifted to the glass of water she was drinking. Oh yeah, she knew, she knew all too well.

"Kagome?" he asked at the noticeable change in her demeanor, that, and he could smell the complete 180 change in her emotions. "Oh yeah. Sorry. I forgot." He turned to his glass, spinning it around in his grip. "You and Hobo, uh, whatever his name is . . . how is that going?"

"My doctor's trying really hard, but . . . "Kagome looked up at her friend, her eyes glossy from the liquid pain. She could trust him. And right now, after the events of the morning, she really needed to talk to a friend. "It's not going well at all." Kagome sighed as a means to keep the tears back.

"Hojo and I had an appointment this morning, one he didn't show up for. My doctor is demon, well, part, half . . . he's a hanyou . . . and he knew the truth. Hojo and I don't have sex. We have, but . . . then we don't. And I love him. I-I think that if we weren't trying to have a kid, sex wouldn't be this big issue at all. I'd probably still be a virgin."

"Don't you talk to the girls about this? I mean, shit, I hear all about Eri's adventures."

"I can't. They all think I have this most perfect life, like some romance novel. Hojo, the prince charming of our high school, swept the little naïve Kagome off her feet." Kagome shook her head at the imagery of Hojo on a white horse galloping onto the soccer field, extending an arm out to her and rescuing her from the nightmare of high school. "And I'm not sure about my thoughts, my feelings about sex. I don't have the kind of sex that Eri has."

"Kagome, no one but Eri has the kind of sex that Eri has."

"But your wife understands it when Eri talks about the feelings and the sensations of sexual pleasure."

The man chuckled, and then blushed. "So that explains it."

"What?"

"Why after your dinners I get some of the best sex a male can have, even for a demon like me. Eri must be _very_ descriptive."

"Eh, she can be." It was Kagome's turn to blush. Kouga had great sex, and Kagome had some very descriptive fantasies the first Thursdays of the month.

"Kagome your problem is obvious. Even I can figure it out." He was so proud that he had caught onto something so quickly.

"It is?"

"Yeah. You've never been fucked." He took a sip of his juice, his eyes peering over the rim of the glass to get a look at Kagome's face, watching as her face scrunched and turned from the different thoughts her brain ran through.

"Hey! Wait a minute. I . . . well I've had sex!" she proclaimed too loudly, drawing the attention of some of the nearby patrons. Kagome giggled, flustered from the looks and waved it all off.

"No. Well, okay . . . yeah, technically, you've had sex. But sex for the sole purpose of making a child."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Kagome, I am most definite that I would've killed someone at work, or even just an annoying person on the street by now if I wasn't able to go home and fuck my wife. It's such a great stress reliever, not to mention all that mushy stuff that men like me don't talk about, but we know it's there. You know like trust and being connected, crap like that."

"I know that you can have sex other than to make babies, but . . . for us . . . that's the only reason why we have sex. When Hojo stresses, he runs on the treadmill; when I stress, I make cookies and eat the dough. I can never make it to the baking stage."

He laughed at her. "Well, I can't help you out too much. As much as I would have loved to give you a good roll in the hay, I can't and I don't feel that way about you anymore."

"At least you thought about offering. That's sweet." She smiled at him, causing him to laugh out at her response. Kagome focused her gaze back at her glass of water, her thumb running along its smooth rim. "People, they can live without sex, can't they?"

"Sure. I guess. At least I think so." He pondered the question thinking that his immediate response wasn't the right one. "Actually, that's not a good question to ask me. I'm a big fan of it. Love it. Absolutely crave it. And I am missing it so much," he groaned the last part out as his head slammed down against the bar.

"Hey. You okay?"

"Oh yeah. I will be . . . stupid hormones, stupid pregnancy." He sat back up. "Sorry, if I say anymore, I'll just scare ya."

"Uh, okay." Still, she was curious as to what else he could tell her about this sex/fuck thing.

"Two."

"Huh?'

"You said two favors."

"Ah, right. Yes. Well, I was wondering if you could let me into that restaurant you have for sale. It was on your website."

"Restaurant? Oh right. The one on the other end of the city center. Can I ask why?"

"Just to look. I'm working on my portfolio for graduation. My imagination isn't cooperating with me today." Only because it was occupied with Dr. McHunky Hanyou and his cute ears, his lean, hard muscles, his body heat which had blanketed her when in his embrace . . .

"I was told something about that. Yeah, sure just let me know when."

"Either Thursday or Friday. I'll call to see when you're available."

"Great. Are you girls on for Thursday?"

"Yeah, we are. I've gotta call tomorrow and make reservations."

"You gonna tell me where it's at?"

"Nope."

He pouted at her. "Ah, Kagome, why not?"

"Because you'll magically appear." Kagome waved her hands in the air, trying to make fun of him.

"No I won't."

"Yes, you will."

The man snorted at her, even going as far as rolling his eyes. "Kagome. I'm a mature, happily married man, a father of three, soon to be four of the best cubs my pack has ever had, after me. I trust my wife complicity."

"But distrusts any and every other male within breathing space of her. I told you once, when you first started to date Ayame. You broke the waiter's arm for serving her meal to her. If I remember right, she broke not only your arm, but your nose as well."

"I know. What a woman."

"Well, if you don't want a repeat of that night, I suggest you hurry home."

"I better. Are you going to be okay?" He reached out and gave her shoulder a soft reassuring squeeze, careful of his claws.

"Of course I will be. I guess it's just the stress of this whole baby thing. It's getting to me."

"I'll eat some of those cookies if you don't eat all of the dough."

"No problem. Later. Drive safely."

"Night Kagome."

Kagome watched as Kouga strolled through the crowd, disappearing from her heavy eyes before making it to the exit. A drink of water, followed by the heavy sighs and all other sounds of the dessert bar faded out.

_Stupid._

Kagome gripped the glass tighter as she thought about the words Kouga said to her. She'd known him to be dense, simple-minded and yet, even he could see that her fairy tale relationship was nothing more than a farce. But, she just couldn't get over the fact that she loved Hojo and he loved her back. Without sex, their relationship was just peachy.

Never had so been so consumed about how her sex life with Hojo stacked up against her friends. It was only because she couldn't get pregnant. This whole issue about sex wasn't about sex at all, it was about her inability to conceive Hojo's child.

She was failing as a woman. And it made her feel stupid because she couldn't find a solution. Could she settle for an adopted child to call her own? Yes. Could Hojo? On the outside, probably, but Kagome knew him. He couldn't love a child whole-heartedly if they choose to adopt. Hojo would never sacrifice his life for something not of his flesh and blood. And in that regard, she would fail Hojo.

Kagome pulled out enough money to cover Kouga's drink as well as a tip for the bartender for putting up with her solemn presence for the last two and a half hours. Calling Kouga was something of a whim. She remembered Yuka's message, as well as the work on her portfolio and somehow he popped into her head.

She slid off the stool and made her way out onto the street. Since it was a Tuesday night, things were slow in the city. Which was fine with Kagome. The sidewalks would be mostly empty. And with her being so wrapped up in her thoughts, she would no doubt run into people. All it would take would be for one person to yell at her and she'd most likely break down, right there on the street, in front of anyone.

No, she couldn't be like that. Sure, hormones could easily make her sensitive, but it was no excuse to act emotional all of the time. She had to be strong and confident. Hojo loved her. She . . . she couldn't be selfish. She didn't need him to hold her hand all of the time. What was she, five? It was impossible to expect him to stop work at any minute she demanded it. That job was going to support her and their child for the rest of their lives.

A smile graced her once weary face as she filled her head with anything that convinced her that everything with her life was actually fine. That these _problems_ were nothing more than figments of her imagination caused by a temporary set back. Life couldn't be scripted to her schedule. A few bumps and obstacles were bound to happen. That's what this was. Nothing more than a tiny bump on the straight, smooth road of her and Hojo's life.

Straight and smooth. No curves, hills or unexpected maladies. Wasn't that the life of the fairy tale couple? An easy calm ride . . .

"Kagome, you're home."

"Hi." She was home already? Looking up, she found Hojo standing there already dressed in his pajamas.

"Uh, your cell phone. I tried calling."

"Sorry, I turned if off during our, uh, m-my appointment this morning and I forgot to turn it back on."

"That's okay. You were in the study . . . working?"

"Yeah, I had to do some research. Oh, right. The computer. I, uh, I didn't look. Really. I just minimized the windows. And I wasn't on it for very long."

"No worries. I know you." He gave her a hug. "Oh, Dr. Takahashi stopped by."

"What? He did?"

"Yes. He said to call the clinic first thing in the morning. And he wanted me to give you this."

Kagome examined the outside of the envelope. "What is it?"

"I don't know. Anyway. I had a long day. I'm going to bed. And thanks for the meal. It was delicious."

"Meal?"

"Yeah, the one you left on the stove. I have to say that it's one of your better ones." He placed a quick kiss on her cheek. "Goodnight."

"Night," she whispered as Hojo left for the bedroom. Kagome glanced into the kitchen as she turned to see what it was he was talking about, dropping the envelope off onto the kitchen counter. Then it hit her. Lifting up the dirty dishes he had unceremoniously dumped into the sink, she sighed as she placed the plate back. Her assignment. It was all gone, completely eaten. She had to redo it now so it would be ready for class tomorrow.

Turning to the fridge, she glanced inside and took a quick inventory of the ingredients, hoping she had enough to make the dish without having to go to the grocery store.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome woke up, groggy from staying up too late to remake the dish Hojo ate. She only hoped that it turned out just as good the second time around knowing she may have rushed to get it done. Then she rushed to bed only to jump out of bed exhausted already from all of the rushing around last night.

She put on a sports bra, white ribbed tank, running shorts and her tennis shoes to get in her exercise for the day. Exercising in the morning allowed her to do a mental checklist of the things she needed to do for the day.

It was a Wednesday, meaning it was double duty day, part-time teacher, and part-time student. As the countdown to the end of spring quarter had already begun, Kagome found herself dealing with finals from both sides, her portfolio, graduation, a double baby shower and of course, the baby. Well, trying to have one.

Speaking of which, she needed to call the clinic about something. Kagome stopped on her place on the treadmill, jumping off the moving rubber track before being flung off of it. The injections. She was supposed to start those today. Grabbing her cell phone, she quickly buttoned through her address book for the clinic's number. She hoped it wasn't too early in the morning.

"Good morning. Thank you for calling the Izayoi Family Clinic. This is Saori, how may I help you?"

"Uh, morning Saori. This is Higurashi Kagome."

"Ah, Kagome. I'm so glad you called. We spent all day trying to get a hold of you."

"I'm really, really sorry about being so troublesome. I . . . I had my cell phone turned off and I just wasn't thinking. I'm very sorry."

"Don't worry about it. You are to start on hormone injections today. We ask that you find a convenient time in which you could come in everyday at the same time."

"Oh, okay, like the pill. Let's see, class, class, uh, it looks like two o'clock is free for me everyday."

"Great. So we'll see you at two this afternoon. When you come in, just say that you're here for hormone injections and a nurse will help you out."

"Thank you. Two o'clock. Okay. See you then."

"Have a good day Kagome."

"You too." Kagome put her cell phone into the cup holder as she got back onto the treadmill. Class, class, then during her break, an injection, then back to the school to do more work, class, then her last class. She just had to remember two o'clock, everyday for two weeks.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Inuyasha strode into work a little earlier than usual. He had a couple of procedures scheduled today and he liked to show up early to make sure he and everyone else was prepared for what had to be done.

"Morning Dr. Takahashi."

"Morning," he grumbled. As of this time, he had no coffee, tea or food in his system. Something he was going to remedy after dropping stuff off in his office. "Messages?"

"Yes. Here." She passed along the slips of paper with names and numbers on them. "Also, the schedule of procedures for today, with attending nurses and locations."

"Did Kagome call?" That was what he was really concerned about. He didn't really care which nurses were going to stand there and shadow him or where the procedures were going to take place.

Saori grinned at his use of her name. "Yes. _Miss Higurashi_ contacted me earlier this morning. We set her up with a schedule." She stressed the _Miss Higurashi_ a little more than she intended, but, she got the intentions across.

"What time?"

"What time?"

"Yeah, isn't that what I asked?"

"Miss Higurashi has scheduled an appropriate and consistent time for injections. Besides, why do you need to know? You only need to see the hormone level readouts and ultrasound printouts."

Inuyasha narrowed his dark gold, still sleep eyes at his all too cheery secretary. "And you're not telling me because . . . "

"Because it won't matter. You'll be busy. Busy, busy, busy. Like the rest of us. Now, you better hurry and scamper off if you want breakfast this morning."

"Keh, damn busybody," Inuyasha grumbled a bit more as he made his way down to his office. It was strange for Saori not to tell him when Kagome was coming in for injections. However, it was even stranger for him to even ask about it.

Damn, now Saori would be suspicious. And having a curious secretary was just as bad as a perverted Miroku. As soon as that pervert walked into work this morning, Saori would share with him what had transpired, and together, they would gang up on the hanyou and bother him relentlessly.

He knew Kagome was off limits. It didn't matter how nice she smelled, how warm her body was . . . none of it mattered. He just had to accept it as a part of his fate. His fate was most likely to be a bachelor too consumed with work to even glance at the rippling dating pool. It was how his life already was, why change it.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome sat around the table at the _Azul Luna_restaurant and bar. She made it a point to be the first one to arrive as the reservations were normally under her name and it was a polite gesture on her part.

_Azul Luna_ was a recently new Latin American restaurant in town that quickly became popular. It wasn't the usual Mexican restaurant, but served a variety of food from Puerto Rico, Central American, South America and even Mexico, only as a way to bring in customers who are unsure of the rest of the food from the Southern Hemisphere. It offered flavors and foods not typically found in normal Mexican restaurants.

It also helped that Kagome was a friend of one of the chefs, which allowed her to make the quick reservation, one of the reasons why she chose this locale. Usually, she called restaurants two to three weeks in advance. This time, it slipped her mind. She couldn't help it; she was preoccupied with other matters.

One by one her friends showed up, two of them still very pregnant. And though she was slightly jealous of them, she was even happier for them. She wouldn't want to wish her predicament to any of her friends, or any other woman. It just wasn't fair.

Drinks were served, followed by appetizers and then the main course, five dishes chosen by Kagome's chef friend. Kagome had explained that two of her friends were very pregnant, and one was a full youkai, which he was happy to work around, adding extra helpings and to keep the spices to a minimum. So while everyone enjoyed the other flavors influenced by the Old World, it was dessert that always brought the girls together.

As the main course plates were replaced by delicate glassware of sweets, the girls all turned their attention to Eri, the star of the evening. Though tonight, she didn't look as energetic as she had been for the last few months, it was the bags under her eyes, the dull skin, and the absence of her proud grin.

Eri waited until the waiter disappeared. She checked around the area where they were sitting, looking to see how close others were in proximity to their table. She would have to thank Kagome later for securing a secluded spot in such a busy restaurant.

"Eri, we're waiting for you," Yuka blurted out as she grew impatient with the hovering silence over the table.

"Yeah, why so quiet?" Ayumi asked in between bites of her dessert. She didn't care what it was, it was decent tasting and it was food.

Kagome leaned over to her friend. "Are you feeling okay? You look exhausted."

"I am," Eri sighed before downing her sixth glass of water. She wasn't in the mood for fancy cocktails. "I . . . I'm so tired. I just want to go to a spa and be babysat by a cute male masseuse and sleep in his muscular, cradling arms."

Eri was very good at creating suspense and once again she had the four other girls at her table all ears for another installment of her month long adventure. Grabbing Yuka's drink, she finished off that as well, not caring anymore it if was water or not.

"Get your own." Yuka swatted at Eri's hands.

Eri lifted her empty glass up. "Mine's empty."

"Hey!" Ayumi cried out with a mouth full of food. "That's mine."

"What does it matter? You're too busy stuffing your mouth and feeding that kid to drink. Besides, we all want to hear what Eri has to say," Yuka commented as she watched Eri gulp down Ayumi's glass of water as well. "You're not pregnant either, are you?"

"Fuck no," Eri spat out, setting the glass down, feeling that her thirst was satisfied for the time being. "I don't have this thing in my arm for nothing." Eri leaned back in the cushioned chair. "It's just so exhausting, being a submissive."

All eyes turned to Ayame's squealing. "What? I'm excited to hear what Eri has to say."

"Yes, I was a submissive, not a slave, which I learned is different. I had my master, who was the dominant. He was hot, and powerful. Wow he had power. Not just physical strength, but his voice, his personality, his aura all demanded your complete respect, and of course, your submission."

"Is this different than bondage?" Yuka asked, searching the table for something to drink. Why couldn't the waiter just have left a pitcher of something for them? Speaking of the waiter, where was he?

"Kinda. A submissive can be tied up, restrained, but it's not always the case. It's about . . . "

"Trust," Ayame spoke the word clearly. She glanced at her friends who had turned their attention to her. "It is. I'm a wolf demoness. I completely understand the complex relationship of dominance and submissiveness not only between the couple, but within a group."

"Is it sexual?" Ayumi posed the question to both Eri and Ayame.

"For me it was," Eri replied, looking over at Ayame to give her response.

"Yes and no. A part of it is. But, it's ingrained in my youkai heritage. Between the couple, yes, it's sexual to a point. Within the group, no, it's about leadership. I guess you humans would refer to it as animal instinct, right?"

"Our own human culture displays acts of dominance and submissiveness throughout our history. Mainly, female on bottom in the missionary position, or female on bottom in doggy style. Any sexual position where the male is in total and complete control of the female, from which the Lilith myth of Judaism stems from. This act of dominance in the bedroom leads to dominance in main society. Males going out to do the hunting for food, building of shelter. Males in public office. Males going to war. Males must do this to protect the female and the offspring. However, when it got to a point where females could protect themselves, feed themselves, be independent of males, the males were afraid to lose their status, and had to regain control of the situation," Eri explained it as simply, but as thoroughly as she could as this happened to be a part of what she studied.

"In our society today, males are generally the dominant and females are the submissive, though . . . wait Yuka, hear me out. There are cases of role-reversals in ancient times, many native tribes of the Americas were matriarchal, as well as Tibetan tribes, some small villages in China, etc. and modern society is beginning to accept role-reversals more openly, but not with wide open arms. The so-called great equalization of the sexes."

"With my kind, there are active and passive displays of dominance and submissiveness. These days, we don't have to rely so much on our instincts as we don't travel in packs, and basic necessities such as food and shelter are much more easily obtained."

"But Kouga is like the super alpha male. Oh, wait, super duper alpha male," Kagome stated, remembering her talk with him the night before.

"Well, we can't just switch off our instincts. It's our instincts that have allowed us to survive. But, yes, Kouga displays the typical traits of an alpha male, as that is what he is. He is the . . . uh, monarch of the wolf demon clan, well, his wolf demon pack. There are many packs. Our marriage joined my pack with his."

Yuka pouted. "That's so . . . caveman like. A woman being so controlled by a male."

"You are so wrong Yuka," Ayame countered to defend herself. "He may be the alpha male, but I'm the alpha female. I'm worshipped by Kouga because I am his mate and the mother of his children. It's hard to bear so many cubs and when I'm pregnant, I'm vulnerable. Our cubs are, well, were vulnerable. I have a hard time putting on shoes, imagine what it was like a few hundred years ago, when we still had to forage for food. I don't think I could've done it. This would make me very dependent on my mate, to not only feed me, but protect me." Ayame rubbed her swollen belly as she swelled with pride talking about Kouga, their kind.

"But like I said, it's about trust. I trust Kouga to make decisions that benefit all of us. And if he even thinks the wrong way, don't think I won't knock some sense into that pea-brain of his."

"Still!" Yuka shouted, shaking her head. "You are basically owned by him, with the mating rituals and the bonding and crap."

"It's a small sacrifice I made to be with the one I love. The one who will protect me, my family, my kin. We work together, but in the end I will defer to him. He rules the clan, and I rule our family. Never once has his questioned my decisions concerning our cubs. Though, we may help the gender distinctions as I tend to discipline the girls and Kouga prefers to discipline the boys, as well as teach them about their role in the pack."

Kagome glanced down at her half-eaten dessert. A small sacrifice, eh? Was sex just a small sacrifice Kagome made to be with Hojo? If Ayame had given up her independence to be with Kouga because she loved him, then it was possible that their relationship would be just fine.

"But you're getting married Yuka," Ayumi calmly stated as she smacked her lips eyeing Kagome's dessert.

"That's pretty much selling yourself to a man," Eri added as she grabbed Kagome's dessert and slid it over to Ayumi.

"No. He's taking my name. Already been discussed and decided on. Okay, so you say this dom/sub thing is about trust. Then my fiancé trusts me to take care of him. He's fine staying at home, cooking dinner, traditional housewife roles. And we don't want children, so I'm not going to be incapacitated like Ayumi and Ayame, so I will be able to continue to work to support his lazy ass. Just as long as we all understand that it works both ways."

"And it does," Eri added to make sure that her friends understood that any relationship was not only complex, but just as individualistic as the people involved. Perhaps that was what she was really trying to do with her research, something she needed to decide on soon as her advisor was pressuring her for something concrete to produce.

"Anyway, I just think that I wasn't prepared for what it meant to be a submissive in this type of relationship. It is something that you have to be completely committed to, 110."

Ayame shook her head. "That's because it's a relationship. Not some sexual tryst you can walk into and out of easily. Finding some random guy, having a quick fling with him and the moving on to the next conquest is all fine and dandy for your research because you aren't exploring relationships; you're just defining sexual practices."

Ayame raised her empty dessert bowl to the waiter, signaling for another helping. "You're exhausted not because of what you did, but because of the emotions and the trust involved. You'll feel re-energized when you explore some other sexual deviance that is only physical, perhaps this masseuse of yours."

Eri agreed with Ayame. "There's sex and then there's something beyond that. I'm content with just physical sex. I'm not ready to be all touchy-feely with my emotions, giving up a part of myself for someone else's feelings. Give me some cheap bodily gratification and I'm fine. Maybe when I'm more mature I'll explore the feeling side to sex, when I know what I want."

Kagome giggled. "That's a mature thing for you to say."

"Wha . . . no. No, it wasn't. It was very selfish, childish even," Eri laughed out.

The night ended on a good note. And it was one of the better dinners. Everyone was able to take something away from it. Eri was going to avoid anything that involved the exercising of her mind. Yuka was the dom in her relationship. Ayumi and Ayame were only reaffirmed of their chosen roles in their relationships, content to birth children, and raise their family. They weren't just breeder females.

Kagome thanked the chef for a fabulous dinner and promised to send all of her friends his way. She opted to walk home. It was a warm late spring night. What did she take away from the night? She loved Hojo. But did she trust him? She did. But who was the dominate and who was the submissive? Could every relationship be viewed as having one dom and one sub? Would that affect their roles as parents?

Ayame was particularly passionate in her words. Kagome understood, as Ayame explained it to her when Kouga started officially dating Ayame. Kouga did these seemingly bizarre things, letting his jealousy and anger run rampant in front of everyone. Now that Kagome thought more about it, some of it was sweet. He fought for her. That was a part of the fairy tale too. The fight and the rescue.

When Kagome made it home, Hojo had already gone to sleep. It was only ten o'clock-ish. She couldn't remember if he was home or not when she left for dinner. But she was getting used to his long days at work. She realized that if it was important to Hojo, then she needed to respect that. The fact that it was happening right now was something neither could avoid. Hojo was the breadwinner and she was going to be like Ayumi and Ayame, at home and pregnant, focused on the family.

It was too early to go to bed. Kagome went into the kitchen to grab something to drink. That's when she noticed it. Setting the glass down, she walked over to the other counter, curious as to what this was. It had her name on it.

She carefully tore open the glued seal of the envelope. Hojo had mentioned it to her, but she had forgotten about it for some reason.

The sound of shattering glass wasn't enough to wake the sleeping Hojo.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**


	11. Chapter 11

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Eleven Confrontation**

Kagome flung open the glass doors adorning the entrance to the RE wing of the Izayoi Family Clinic. Some of the women sitting patiently in the cushy chairs of the waiting area batted an eye or two at her before turning back to their magazines, not interested in this woman that had so abruptly introduced her arrival. Kagome took in a deep breath through her flared nostrils and forcefully released it. Her feet stomped against the soft floor, actually making a dull thumping sound against the padding. She plopped her purse on Saori's reception counter with an echoing thud.

Saori jumped in her chair, dropping the telephone from its perch between her shoulder and ear. Wide, frightened eyes glanced up at an image of someone who looked like Kagome with the grin of the Cheshire Cat superimposed on her face. "Ah, you . . . you startled me,"Saori chuckled as she scrambled to pick up the phone, quickly whispering her goodbyes to the person at the other end before hanging it up. "What can I do for you?"

"Is Dr. Takahashi available?"

Saori cringed at her overly sweet tone which was obviously invented for purposes unknown, as Kagome worked on trying to hide her real feelings. "Let me look." She swiveled around in her chair turning to the computer and brought up Inuyasha's schedule for the afternoon. "It looks like he's free until four o'clock."

"Thank you," she chimed out too blindingly bright. Saori watched dumbfounded as Kagome plucked up her purse and strolled down the office with the confidence of a boxer entering the ring for the big fight. She would have to corner Inuyasha later on to get the scoop.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Inuyasha scanned his liquid gold eyes over a file while sitting comfortably in his leather chair at his desk, his foot tapping the air to some fast-paced tune in his head. Frowning, he pushed himself away from the desk, the wheels rolling smoothly, quietly along the carpet, and stood up, walking over to the massive bookshelf, He began a search for a book that would hopefully contain the answer to his question about a couple who had been trying for too many years to conceive. It was rare that he would have to use what they called high tech therapies. He tried to avoid them as they were dangerous for both the mother and the offspring.

At hearing his door being slammed open, Inuyasha glanced up from his book to see Kagome standing there, her eyes colored dark steel. He snapped the book closed and slid it back into its slot. That problem could wait for now.

"This is unexpected," he greeted her with a lopsided, but toothy grin, his golden eyes shining excitedly at her presence. Seeing her here, in his office, without an appointment was a surprise. Saori still wouldn't tell him what time her injections were, and she had convinced everyone else not to tell him either, so he wasn't able to _accidentally_ bump into her in the hallway. And he had so many excuses he could use.

Kagome narrowed her eyes at him, no smile for his. She roughly took a hold of the door knob and threw the heavy door shut, causing the doctor's ears to hit the deck from the loud smack. He raised one up, the frightened appendage swiveling about to see if the coast was clear. When he didn't hear anything else that would cause damage, he raised the other one up, directing both of them at her.

"Uh, something wrong?" he cautiously asked. Just because he didn't deal with his patients emotional sides very often didn't mean he was completely ignorant of emotions. At least he could tell that there was something wrong instead of trying to suck up to her.

"Yes actually there is," she snapped at him, pointing her finger in his direction, her other hand on her hip, shoulders back as she stood there defiantly. He didn't miss the way her chest jutted out either. "_You_ are a coward."

Inuyasha could only stare at her, as the impact of the word that left her lips hadn't hit him yet. Her face, neck, the upper part of her chest which he could see from the cut of her blouse, all were flushed red with anger. Anger? Why was she angry? His eyes met hers, her steel hammering at his gold, and he saw that she was angry at him.

_Wait, she called me a coward_?

"What's that supposed to mean?" he shot back, ready to defend himself. No one was allowed to just barge into his office and call him names.

"It means what it means. You," she jabbed her finger out at him again in his direction, "are a coward . . . a yellowbelly, spineless, sissy-boy, scaredy-cat –"

"Yes," he interjected forcefully, rising up a clawed hand, cutting her diatribe off. "Thank you, but I do know what the words means. But why are you calling me that? What did I do to you Kagome?"

Her body stiffened at the sound of her given name coming out of his mouth. Any other time, she relished it, tried to memorize it so that her fantasizes had more depth to them when his silky voice whispered it faintly into her ears. Not this time. "It's _Miss Higurashi_ to you, Dr. Takahashi." The way she said her name sounded more like snake hiss than her usual pleasant voice.

It was Inuyasha's turn to stiffen. Her voice was too sharp. And she took away his privilege to call her by her given name. As much as he didn't want to refer to her as Miss Higurashi, at least it wasn't Mrs. Akitoki.

"Fine. _Miss Higurashi_. You mind explaining why you've come busting into my office calling me names."

"I am so glad you asked Dr. Takahashi." Kagome reached into her purse and pulled out a folded piece of paper. With a quick shake of her wrist, the paper snapped open with a crisp crackle. Kagome cleared her throat as her eyes turned to the paper.

"Dear Mr. Akitoki and Miss Higurashi . . . "Kagome took a quick glimpse up at Inuyasha, making sure he was still paying attention. "We here at the Izayoi Family Clinic are delighted that you have chosen us to help you through this dark time. We understand the pain and frustrations you are experiencing as you face conception difficulties. The staff at the Izayoi Family Clinic is determined to help you weather this storm and we guarantee that our staff will do everything in their power to see you through it."

Kagome took a deep breath, her entire body shivering as her defenses started to crumble from the strain it took to be brave in front of everyone. Her body visibly shuddered as she let out the air.

"However . . . "her voice cracking as her stone wall lay in ruins at her feet. "However, due to your marital status, we are unable to proceed with any treatments at this time. If, in the future, you and Miss Higurashi's marital status does change, we promise to welcome you back with open arms and to continue to help with your dreams of a family."

Kagome stared hard at the letter she had read and reread over and over again last night. When she first opened it and glanced at the words, she thought it was a mistake. It had to be. But it wasn't. Hojo had told her that Dr. Takahashi had dropped it off for her, even though the letter was addressed to the both of them.

She had dragged herself out onto the balcony, wrapped up in a blanket she picked up from the chair inside and watched the city light's blink and then blur as she quietly shed tears. The whole night was devoted to deciphering the letter, and searching for the determination to confront Inuyasha on the matter.

And all she could think was, why me?

"Why couldn't you just tell me in person?" Kagome yelled at him. Looking back down at the letter, she didn't want it anymore. Crumbling the cursed paper into a ball, she lobbed it at the frozen hanyou. "Why schedule me for injections? Why give me this hope, only to . . . to rip it away from me?"

The tears flowed, but she ignored them, even as they blurred her vision. She blinked rapidly to rid her eyes of the salty liquid as she waited for him to answer. And she wasn't leaving until she heard the answer from his mouth. No letters. No phone calls.

Inuyasha hardly felt the paper ball bounce off of his chest. Peering down, he saw it resting at his feet. He bent down to pick it up, never taking his eyes off of Kagome. He was surprised at how quickly her emotions had filled the room, clogging his senses. It wasn't anger anymore that he felt.

Carefully unpeeling the paper open from its spherical shape, his darkened eyes scanned the words, reading what she had just read to him, except the end. Gracing the bottom of the letter, copies, but legitimate signatures, were the names of the members of the board of directors.

Inuyasha looked up at Kagome. Her body was shaking from the overload of emotions she had yet to shed. He sighed as he set the letter down on the bookshelf. He had a bit of explaining to do.

"Look, Kagome . . . "

"Miss Higurashi," she reminded him.

"Fine. Whatever. Okay. Why don't you have a seat?"

"I'm fine," the words snarled out.

"Sit down," he commanded her with a tone he'd never used with a patient before.

Kagome's body fell into a nearby chair on its own, her eyes glued on the hanyou. Never had anyone been so forceful with her.

"I . . . I didn't do this."

"You knew?"

Shit, now he was really going to be in trouble.

"Yes and no."

Kagome was no longer looking at him. Her eyes had melted and what was left with a pool of dull, dreary grey mix that had been defeated. Her shoulders slumped down and her head gently rocked back and forth. Inuyasha couldn't quite make it out.

"I . . . "the word barely escaped her lips. Kagome couldn't think, couldn't find the words to express her feelings, to say what she was thinking. There was so much there, but she couldn't get a solid grip on anything. And she was trying. She had to find the right words, the ones that would convince him, all of them that she wanted to have a baby.

"I'm a failure." The words just flew out. Not the ones she wanted. But they were the words that summed up everything. She had a horrible sex life, well, not really, she just didn't have one, and that was just as bad. She wasn't married. And she couldn't get pregnant.

She tried sex, but it was a failure. It gave her no pleasure at all, reminding her that it was more of a chore than an expression of love, or even lust. She wanted to be married, but that didn't work out either. The gods taking her grandfather away. And now, she was failing at the only chance she had left to get pregnant. What good was she as a woman? What was her worth? To cook and clean? Hojo could hire a maid to do those things. A friend, a lover, a wife and a mother; those were the roles that she wanted to fulfill. One out of four was horrible.

Now he recognized it. That look. He'd seen it on only a few of his patients. Those, that no matter what he did for them, they were unable to conceive, and came to the point where they choose to give up. He was watching Kagome give up. That he couldn't let her do.

"Look," Inuyasha glided over to the front of his desk, leaning up against it, still maintaining some space between himself and Kagome, "the board is just concerned that a problem may arise due to the fact that you and Hojo are not legally married."

Problem? Yeah, she had a problem. She couldn't conceive a child. Did they not consider that the main problem? Did this place just give up on the utterly hopeless, the lost causes over a simple matter as not married? A lot of non-married couples had children. Even those that couldn't get married legally, the gay and lesbian couples, they were even granted with life. But not her. No.

"No, I get it." Kagome stood up on her shaky legs, waving her hands around at her hips to keep her balance. She reached down to grab her purse so she could just leave. It was too much to have the _supposed_ best clinic turn her away. "I get it all too clearly."

He heard her faint words. "No, Kagome, you don't." He didn't give a damn about which name she wanted him to use.

"Yes, I do. I . . . "Kagome shook her head. He was just dragging this out. It was too much, it overwhelmed her. She was finding it painful to simply breathe. Placing her hand on her chest, she grabbed at her avocado-colored blouse, her lungs screaming from the lack of air. Where was the air? She needed out of this office. Out of this clinic. There was air outside, lots of it. Enough for her. Enough to slow her heart down fill up her lungs and to stop the ache.

She turned to face the door. It was close, but felt so far away. Dragging her feet across the carpet, she brought herself closer to the escape, but walking further away from her dream. There had to be a sacrifice. Wasn't that what Ayame said? Did this have to be the thing she gave up, her own definition of what it meant to be a woman? Would she never be fulfilled?

She just needed to breathe first, to stop this burning ache that was consuming her insides, burning her down to a pile of ashes.

Inuyasha wasn't about to let her go. Rushing after her, he took a hold of her arm, his fingers wrapped around her soft skin, holding her back. He held onto her tightly, but not enough to hurt her. Inuyasha didn't want to see her go.

"You need to listen to me."

"No." Kagome yanked her arm out of his grasp. She backed away from him, cautious of him, afraid to hear what else he thought he needed to say to somehow make this all better. What could be said to make this work? She hugged her purse tightly against her chest, believing it could be a shield to protect her from the hurt and pain that was welling up. "I don't want to."

"Dammit, you have to." He took a few steps toward her and she matched each of her steps backwards until she hit the wall and only a few steps separated them.

"This is only about the clinic covering its own ass. They're afraid that if you and Hojo were to separate, that the costs of the treatment wouldn't be covered. It's only about money." He wanted her to look at him, not the floor. "Kagome, you've only been here for a month, which is definitely not enough time to determine whether or not you can get pregnant."

Kagome shook her head, eyes squeezed tightly. It couldn't be about money. That was too simple. No, that was . . . it was just an excuse, to let her down easy, so she didn't get all emotional. Or to make sure she couldn't sue. If his excuse was money, then this place was really nothing more than a business, profiting on broken women.

"I'm a liability?" she asked herself, but it was voiced loud enough for Inuyasha to hear it. Liability was just fancy lawyer-speak for potential problem, a handicap. She was the type of problem that lawyers did everything they could to avoid. And she was handicap in the fact that wasn't a normal woman. Normal women had a decent sex life, were married with a couple of children running around. She had none of that. She had nothing.

_I'm a problem_. Kagome gasped, her eyes widening, looking up and locking in Inuyasha's concerned gaze. _That woman caught me in his arms. I'm **his** liability. That woman, his woman_ . . . Kagome had crossed a line she didn't even know existed. Just a simple hug was all it took to have it all tumble down. Was he using money as an excuse?

Should she apologize? Should she just leave? Should she defend herself? Or try to reason with him? She didn't know what to do to convince him to let her stay with the clinic, to continue with the treatments. Need – the need to have this child, that was what kept her mind thinking straight. She wanted this child so badly. What could she do? Only one thing came to mind.

Dropping her purse from her tight grasp, she flung herself at him, tears failing to keep up with her. Gripping tightly onto his clean white lab coat, she buried her face into his hard chest, sobbing, shaking and scared. Kagome had never felt so lost since she lost her brother and grandfather.

Inuyasha hesitantly wrapped his arms around her, keeping quiet for the moment. He really just wanted to hold her. It was selfish of him to take some advantage of the situation, using it as a chance to be this close to her. He did want to let her know that he wasn't about to let her down either.

He let her scent wash over him, taking it in with deep breaths. Another lab coat that he wouldn't wash for days.

"Please," she hiccupped out between sobs. "Please."

Coiling his arm around her shoulders, he slowly escorted her to the couch, and motioned for her to sit down. Once seated, he reached over for the box of tissues and handed it to her. She grabbed a few, taking her time to wipe her tears away, to blow her nose, and to calm down.

"Just tell me what to do." Her eyes met his, challenging his solid gold with her steely blue. "Anything."

Well, that was a tempting plea, one that he could easily manipulate. But, he couldn't. And, of course, he wouldn't. And not with her. If she were any other woman, she would be on her knees now, unbuttoning his trousers. He already knew that Kagome wasn't that type of woman, a thought that pleased him. He didn't need her sucking him off so she could continue with treatments.

"Two things."

He saw her eyes light up. Hope. He saw hope in those clear orbs of hers. It warmed him up.

"One, sign a contract. Both of you. Saying that in any event of a separation, the fees will be paid, split down the middle or something, without dragging the clinic into court."

Kagome nodded. It sounded simple enough. It was what she intended to do anyway. They both had medical insurance, and then the money in their savings. Both had discussed the costs of this and were prepared to pay it all, not too concerned with the final price tag.

"Two. Hojo told me, Sango, as well as you, about a blessing by your grandfather. A copy of that recording would help out considerably."

The smile that started to grace her lips quickly fell out. Her eyes turned away from him. He leaned forward to get a look at her face again, to see what she was trying to hide from him. Reaching up with is hand, he was going to take a hold of her chin, turn her beautiful face back towards him, but decided that it would be too much, too much of an invasion of her comfort zone.

For Kagome, signing that contract was easy enough. Just her signature. But a record of her grandfather's blessing? That wasn't as easy as it required much more than just a simple signing.

"Can you do that?"

Kagome whipped her head up, a fake looking smile cheaply plastered on her paled face. "Yes. Uh . . . Monday?"

"Huh?"

"The contract. Monday. I'll sign it on Monday. Just . . . please . . . please let me continue with the injections."

"Keh. I wasn't planning on stopping them."

"Oh, thank you," Kagome laughed out, the pain in her heart, her lungs dissipating.

"Kagome . . . I . . . I didn't know, that letter. I didn't know what was written, okay. You're right. It was cowardly to tell it to you like that."

Kagome's smile died when she realized what she had done. "Oh, I thought . . . I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry. I . . . I sorta jumped to conclusions. I made such a fool of myself . . . I'm . . . "

"Nah. It's fine. Really." He smiled at her hoping she would relax and smile back. He'd so much rather see her smile than cry.

"Are you sure?"

"Keh, I'll take care of those assholes."

"Eh? That's no way to talk about them. I . . . I met one of them, Kaede. She was kind to me."

"Bah. Old hag was just curious. What she really needs to do is mind her own damn business."

"That's mean."

"Well, it's the truth."

There, she smirked. "If you say so." Still, she felt really bad about the way she treated him and she still felt that there was more to all of this than he was letting on. Or was it her own imagination? It was coming to the point where she was unsure about so much in her life.

"Oi." She glanced up at him and that look alone made him forget about what he was going to say. "Uh . . . will you be okay?"

The sincerity in his voice was enough to make her heart jump for joy. It wasn't a reaction she'd expected. Relief, that was the best she could hope for, yet, she felt so much more. It felt like he really did care for her. Why did it feel like she never felt exactly like this before in her life?

"I think so. I'll have to go home, well, to my mother's. But . . . I can't, not with the injections."

"Keh, easily fixed."

"But you said . . . "

"Whatever. Is there a clinic nearby your mom's place?"

"Yes. Our family physician, Dr. Yamaguchi."

"We'll give them a call. Then you can go there for them over the weekend."

"You . . . you would do that . . . for me?"

"It's not that big of a deal." A lie, of course, but she wouldn't know. He'd do whatever it took to make sure she got those injections that she could still come to the clinic and visit him.

Kagome looked up at him, using the moment to really look at him, into him. His adorable dog ears were directed only at her, though one would flick around at other sounds, ones she couldn't hear. It wasn't until now that she noticed his arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close to his body, comforting her with his words and his warmth. Those golden eyes, the ones that shone brightly in her fantasies, were sparkling, and she could see how honest he was. He really wanted to help her. Then there was his nose, those lips . . . she'd watched them move when he spoke.

"It is to me," she whispered as she tried to swallow down an uncertain confusion that was springing up inside of her. Perhaps it was just the sublimation of feelings, from deep anger and frustration right to relief and happiness.

Inuyasha's eyes scanned her face, the pink from her anger and tears still tinted her cheeks, giving life to her skin. His mouth parted at the sight of hers, his teeth nibbling on his tongue in anticipation of something that could never be. He had to look to away. There was her long, swan neck dripping gently down to the swell of her cleavage.

He really had to look away from her altogether. For that moment, he would've reached out and tasted her. The longing to do just that was there . . . and the situation was ripe for it. But he was already in enough trouble without taking any more advantage of the situation and the girl.

He cleared his throat as he abruptly jumped off the couch. Peering down at his pants, he now wished he had remained sitting. "You said Yamaguchi, right?" He quickly blurted out as he dashed to his desk to write down the information. It looked like a logical escape from a dangerous situation.

"Right. Yes. Dr. Yamaguchi Ryouta. He runs a small general health clinic. I'm afraid that I don't have the address."

"I can get it. Or, actually, Saori can. That's what I pay her to do."

Kagome chuckled. "But she works so hard already."

"Not really. She spends too much time on idle shit."

"That's part of her job." Kagome glanced up at the clock in Inuyasha's office as she heard the soft, mellow chime cry out. "Oh no. It's three. I'm late."

"Late?"

"Yes. Late. I have my appointment with Sango."

"Cancel it."

"What?"

"Cancel it."

"But. . . "

"Go home. Go to your mother's. I think that after what happened today, you could use a break, a break from this place."

"Are you sure?"

"Doctor's orders." Inuyasha walked up to her. He glanced down at her, she glancing back up at him. They remained like this for a moment that lasted longer in their minds. The same blush adorned both their cheeks. He tore himself aware, clearing his throat to break whatever hold she had over him. "I'll walk ya out."

Nodding, she stood up and followed him out. She felt like she was doing something bad by skipping her appointment with Sango, but Inuyasha was right, after that letter, she just needed to get some time to herself. Going to her mother's would be good for that. And besides, she hadn't been there for a while.

He escorted her out into the reception area, ignoring the look he knew Saori was giving him. Like he had to explain anything to her. She'd ask, no doubt. There wasn't going to be an answer. Inuyasha then opened the glass doors out the elevators and followed her to them, even pressing the button for her.

"I'm sorry, again, and I'm thankful," her softened voice spoke as she glanced down at the floor, hiding the blush she didn't want him to see.

"It doesn't matter now." To his dismay, the elevator doors opened up to their floor quicker than he thought, cutting their goodbye short.

"Have a nice weekend, Dr. Takahashi." She grinned at him as she took her place inside the deserted contraption.

"Yeah. You too." He smirked at her, smiling until the doors closed on him, cutting her presence away from him. Scowling, he turned back toward the doors, going back to the last couple of hours of work left until the weekend.

"Dr. Takahashi," Saori sung out with a knowing grin on her face. One of those grins she used when she thought she knew what was going on. Oh, she might have a slight idea. And that was all he was going to leave her with.

Ignoring Saori, he turned into his office, shutting and locking the door to prevent any interruptions, especially those of the perverted nature. There were no appointments scheduled, for a while, but he had work to do. And first things came first.

"Dr. Taijiya speaking."

Inuyasha leaved back into his chair as he had the psychologist on speaker phone. "Busy?"

"Yes, actually. I'm expecting a patient any moment now."

"She ain't coming."

"What? How do you know that? Did something happen to Kagome?"

"Hungry?"

"Huh?"

"I asked if you are hungry. Are you?"

"I suppose so. Why?"

"Meet me in the cafeteria."

"Okay. Hey, if Miroku's free . . . "

"Keh. Stupid lecher . . . I guess. As long as he minds his own damn business and doesn't pollute my meal with his perversion."

Sango chuckled. "Can't make you any promises. See you in, oh, say, ten minutes."

Once Sango had hung up, Inuyasha still had one more call to make.

"Yes, Dr. Takahashi."

He growling at the insinuating tone in her voice, and the way she said his name like it had twenty syllables in it. She couldn't blackmail him like that. "Connect me to a Dr. Yamaguchi Ryouta. A family physician."

"Okay. Are you . . . "

"No." He picked up and slammed down the receiver disconnecting her from the conversation she wanted to start. There was no way he was going to let her draw him into that drama-shit he wanted to avoid. Besides, there wasn't anything to say.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Carrying two bottles of water, three bowls of soup and a bowl of rice, Inuyasha sat down at the empty table furthest away from the crowded ones. Most of the people he recognized as those that worked at the clinic, many he had met and briefly shared 'Hi's' and 'Hello's' to in the hallway, but that was were the social party ended. He just wasn't that type of guy.

"Good afternoon Inuyasha."

Inuyasha didn't even look up at the man who spoke to him. Just his luck that he would show up first. Now was not the time to fool around with is perverted antics. Instead, he slurped his soup down.

"There you are. Oh, you found him. Good. Now we can get to the bottom of this."

Inuyasha barely gave Sango a glance as she sat down, her company sitting down with them.

"I hope you don't mind that I invited Miroku. He did volunteer to be the OB-GYN on Kagome's case and I figured his presence would be beneficial, though I am wary of his intentions."

Miroku just chuckled off her accusations. "As always, Sango dear, I only wish to help all women attain their wishes. For our young, sweet Kagome, her desire is to have a child."

"I think you forgot to insert _beautiful_ in front of the word _women_."

"Are you two done with this sickly display of foreplay? I am trying to eat."

Both Miroku and Sango blushed. Perhaps their little fights, their numerous arguments were just that: foreplay. Miroku didn't mind.

"So, why am I not in a session with Kagome?"

Inuyasha reached into the right side pocket of his white lab coat and tossed the crumbled ball of paper at her. He ignored her scowl and instead finished eating his snack. Maybe Sango was right, the food here needed some help.

Sango carefully unwrapped the paper and scrupulously read the letter Kagome had hurled at Inuyasha. Miroku leaned over to see what the fuss was about.

_Oh, Sango is wearing a buttoned blouse with the top button loose_.

"Did they . . . ?" Sango started to ask, her hand slapping over her mouth as she finished the rest of the letter.

"Nope."

"How did she react?"

Inuyasha sighed as he dropped his chopsticks down onto the tray. "She was pissed. And it was directed at me since I dropped the letter off at her apartment without knowing what the letter said."

"Poor Kagome," Miroku sighed as he sat back up, the longing sigh for the removal of his sight from Sango's delectable cleavage.

"Poor Kagome? Poor me. She took it out on me."

"Is everything okay now?" Sango tried to fold the latter back up, but it was too crinkled and fought at any attempts to be smoothed out flat.

"Yeah. I told her what she had to do and sent her on her way."

"Proof of her grandfather's blessing." Inuyasha nodded at Sango's correct guess. "Still, this was no reason for her to cancel our session. In fact, this is more than enough of a reason for her to keep it."

"I canceled it."

"You? Why?"

"Because, as far as I was concerned, the matter was taken care of for the time being. And, instead of having her cry over it for another hour, she's going to go and fix it."

"That's, uh, very noble of you Inuyasha." Sango was a bit surprised at the hanyou. Normally, he didn't give a rat demon's ass about feelings.

"Nothing to do with nobility," he blurted out.

"So, she cried," Miroku calmly stated, looking holier-than-art-thou at his cup of tea.

"Keh," Inuyasha blushed. Damn Miroku for actually knowing about him. "It wasn't like that. Okay. So yeah, she cried. Big deal. Women cry in my office all of the fuckin' time. It just wasn't fair for the board to do this behind _my_ back."

"When is the next board meeting?"

Inuyasha looked up at Sango and sighed. "Monday, I think."

"Is she continuing with the injections?"

"Yeah," was his reply to Miroku. "No reason to stop until I hear it from the asshole's mouth."

Miroku took a sip of his tea. "And we're still on the two-week schedule?"

"Didn't I just say until I hear otherwise?"

"Sorry. I was just making sure."

"So, what's Kagome doing?"

"Home. No, her mom's, the Shrine."

"I guess I'll have to wait until next week then." Sango pulled out her cell phone and made a note of things. "I am surprised by this."

"How so?"

Sango glanced over at Miroku. "Well, somehow the duty of telling them that they needed proof fell in my lap. I avoided the topic with Kagome because she is still suffering from her grandfather's death. I mentioned it to Hojo though. Kagome didn't need to really know about it. And Hojo's feelings about her grandfather's death aren't deep at all. I guess I didn't convey the seriousness of this proof as I thought I had."

"Sango, are you saying that Hojo deliberately refused to bring forth this proof?"

Sango shook her head back at the black-haired doctor. "No, I'm just saying that perhaps he didn't understand the urgency. Also, I'm discovering how busy he really is and that it could have just slipped his mind. I don't know."

Inuyasha snorted. "Everything here is serious. And those that don't know that by now shouldn't be here."

"And just seconds ago, you said you weren't going to stop until you were told to." Miroku smiled lightly at the hanyou. He sensed that there was more to the situation regarding Inuyasha's patient, but decided to leave it alone, for now.

"I'm just saying." He turned back to his last bowl of soup and worked on finishing it up. Suddenly, he found that he really didn't know what he was saying, confusing him as much as those he talked to. Normally, he just said the first thing that popped into his head because that was how he was thinking at that very moment. But as he found himself going over what he had already said, he began to wonder which parts were true.

He wanted to help Kagome. Oh gods, did he want to help her, but not Hojo. Yet, helping Kagome meant helping Hojo and vice versa. Couples were a packaged deal. He helped the couple, not the individuals. He saw only Kagome and tried his darnedest to ignore Hojo. When was the last time he saw that guy anyways?

"Oi, Sango, did you meet with Hojo?" Inuyasha inquired as he was now thinking about the dumbass.

"No. Not this week. Next week. He's set up for bi-weekly meetings. Why? Something you needed to know?"

"Not really. It's just that he missed their joint appointment this week."

Miroku and Sango shared worried looks; something Inuyasha missed having his head in his bowl.

"This being the appointment where you changed their fertility treatments?"

"Yup."

Miroku leaned back in his chair. "And Hojo is aware of these changes?"

"Yup." Inuyasha glanced up and immediately took notice of the uneasy look on Miroku's face. "At least I think so." He set his chopsticks down. "I might have mentioned something when I saw him. I don't remember."

"Inuyasha, will it be possible for all of us to get together before we do an egg extraction?"

"You can make the appointment. Works for me."

"Great. I guess I'll take care of that then. Sango dear, I wish for you to be there as well."

"Sure. It'll be like the dinner, but without the food," she joked as she sensed another disaster looming for the appointment, just as it happened at the dinner.

Inuyasha stood up, tray in hand. "If there's nothing else then, I'm heading back." His guests just nodded their heads. He carried his tray and dropped it off onto the conveyor belt. He headed back up to his office for the time remaining of this Friday's work day.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Mama!"

"Kagome, you made it."

Mama Higurashi came strolling out of the kitchen, wiping her hands on a dish rag, a common sign that she was cooking a meal. Kagome pulled her bags in through the door after carrying them up that horrendous flight of stairs. She was glad she still exercised or else those things would have killed her by now.

"Hey mama. You, you sure you don't mind."

As soon as she left Dr. Takahashi's office, she got onto the bus and headed home to back. It was only after she was done packing and on a different buss already in route to her mother's did she call to warn her mother about her impending arrival.

"Of course not. Even if you don't live here, this is still your home and you're welcomed at any time." Mama Higurashi grabbed a bag of Kagome's and carried it over to the stairs for now. "Dinner is almost ready if you're hungry."

"Absolute. I'm famished." Kagome dropped her bag and purse near the door and trotted behind her mother into the kitchen. The first thing she did was stop in the entrance, eyes closed, arms hanging languidly along her sides and took a deep breath through her nose before releasing it with an audible _ahhh_.

"Smells good. Smells really good." Kagome slid into one of the wooden chairs around the dining room table. Thoughts about her mother sitting at this table alone night after night quickly painted a frown on her face. It was unfair for her mother to suffer from so much loneliness after the loss of the men in their family. Kagome had Hojo and her friends to keep her company. She could only remember her mother spending her time taking care of her brother and grandfather and really didn't know if she had any other friends outside of the family.

"Kagome?"

Kagome looked up at her mother and realized she had been caught spacing off. "Sorry mama. I guess I kinda got lost in my thoughts."

Her mother only smiled as she set the table with bowls, spoons, chopsticks and cups. Humming softly to herself, Mama Higurashi went about her business as she had always done. Kagome could only watch quietly, but completely in awe of her mother.

"I hope you don't mind _oyaku-donburi_ for dinner. I haven't had it in a while and figured I would try making it."

"No, actually it sounds great. I haven't eaten it for some time either. Though, that does remind me . . . "

"What dear?"

"I brought my portfolio home, the one for school. I was hoping you'd look over it for me. Maybe offer any suggestions if you had any."

"Me? Oh, I'm not trained to do that."

"Yes you are mama. I mean . . . you're my main source of inspiration for my cooking. Sitting right here, doing homework, watching, smelling and then eating your cooking . . . I wanted to inspire others to drool over delicious, yet inexpensive food."

Mama Higurashi blushed as she set the pot with rice, egg, chicken, onions and peas down onto the table. "That's a bit much, isn't it?"

"No, it's the truth. My friends always wanted to come over here for dinner and when they did, they were always smiling. I want that."

"That's a nice dream Kagome. Once I know you'll make true someday."

Now it was Kagome's turn to blush. "Mama," she gushed as she dished out a hearty helping of the dinner for herself. The blush quickly turned white as Kagome dwelled on the thought.

_No, it would remain just that, a dream_ . . .

"So, what was the rush to come over? I know you didn't miss your mother that much."

"Of course I missed you. But I did have another reason for coming over."

"Other than for me to look at your portfolio?"

"Yes, something other than that. So, I told you about this new doctor and the fertility treatments he's got me on." Her mother just nodded. "Well, for monetary reasons, they, uh, need some kind of proof of grandpa's blessing of Hojo and me."

Mama Higurashi froze. It was a strange thing to hear about. She kept silent as she continued to eat, sensing that her daughter had more to say on the matter. Perhaps an explanation of those _monetary reasons_ she briefly mentioned.

"I guess from what little I was told about, because Hojo and I aren't married, they . . . the clinic, well, they assume that we won't pay. Or something like that."

"If you and Hojo were to ever separate?"

"Like that's going to happen. But yes. They think we'll draw them into some kind of lawsuit, stuff I don't quite understand." Kagome slammed her chopsticks down onto the table. "Like I'm the type of person who wouldn't pay. I mean, I feel guilty enough when the check-out girl at the grocery store gives me too much change and I don't realize it until I get home. And by then it's too late for me to go back."

"How is proof of your grandfather's blessing going to prove to them of your commitment to cover all fees?"

"I don't know. I told him I would sign a contract and he said that could be done."

Well, we'll look for it tomorrow. Let's enjoy dinner and make it a restful evening, okay?"

"Sounds good to me." Kagome picked up her chopsticks, her mind still fuming over the matter. "Still . . . "

"Yes dear?"

"Never mind. It'll spoil dinner. We can talk about it later." Kagome slapped her hands together; eyes closed and sang out, "_Itadakimasu_."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's note:**

There, the contents of the letter.

I was busy this week as I had to knit golf socks and I had all kinds of visitors interrupting me, so if you find mistakes, let me know and when I get the time again, I can fix it.

I don't think I have too much to explain this chapter. _Oyako-donburi_ is a bowl dish in Japan. White rice, in this case, is covered with a chicken and egg mix. _Oyako_ means parent-child, where the chicken is the parent and the egg is the child. I've eaten it with onions and peas mixed in, but you find it made with other veggies like mushrooms and julienne snow peas as well. Carrots would be good too.

As always, thanks for reading and the reviews are awesome. Hearing your comments and stuff really keeps me motivated.

roshully


	12. Chapter 12

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Twelve In Sync**

"I'm not finding it mama."

"I'm afraid I'm not finding it either dear."

After a small, but filling, and quick breakfast, the surviving Higurashi women were ready to tackle the mess left behind the late Higurashi monarch known to Kagome as _grandfather_. The women opted to dress for the occasion, old, holey jeans, worn t-shirts and scarves to keep those pesky creepy crawlers out of their hair.

First stop was the bedroom. It was organized, but dark and dusty from the years of rest. Mama Higurashi admitted that she had entered grandfather's or Souta's room since the funeral. It wasn't just out of respect for the dead, but she just couldn't bring herself to pack it all up and planned on getting around to it one of these days. Those days just hadn't arrived yet.

After an unsuccessful search in the bedroom, the women ventured out into the dull, grey rainy outdoors and into the shed to look through the old boxes saved over the years. Scrolls and artifacts dating back from a time Kagome didn't even know existed were stored in the sturdy shed, as well as a few spider webs that soon met their demise, execution by swatting broom style.

Several hours later, they still couldn't find anything referencing to any of the marriages Kagome's grandfather had performed over the years. Any references to any of the activities and events the Shrine was actually involved in over the years couldn't be found either. This was odd, considering the importance of keeping such a record was about prestige for any shrine.

Kagome let out a huff of air inside the dimly lit shed as she sat down on the lip of the Bone Eater's Well, another part of her shrine home that had history, myth and intrigue. Her mother sat down next to her, wiping the dust that had gathered on the shoulder of her daughter.

"Mama?"

"Mmmm?"

"What . . . uh, where else can we look?"

"There's the garage and the store. However, I've already been through the store. Nothing but the merchandise to be sold is kept in there."

"Gah, another dark, damp, disgusting place," Kagome sighed at the disheartening thought of more spiders lurking in dark corners.

"You mentioned something about dinner a while ago," her mother stated, trying to make Kagome think of something else, hoping to distract her from what she knew what Kagome was thinking.

"Oh yeah. I checked the kitchen and we'll need to go to the store."

"Wonderful. Let's go get lunch, groceries and then we can come back."

"Sounds great. Oh wait . . I have my injections at two."

"That's fine. We can make it after the shopping."

The women retreated back to the house to grab their purses, finding no real need to change since they were planning to tackle the garage after the trip into town.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

After a filling meal of Pad Thai at a tiny café that the women had frequented often, Kagome and her mother went grocery shopping to get the items Kagome needed to make the dish she planned for her mother. This was now a tradition between mother and daughter. Kagome's mother would cook a family dish Friday nights and on Saturday, Kagome introduce her mother to a dish that would later get rated.

The light sprinkle that had strolled by earlier during the mid morning had departed and a cool breezy wind entered their part of the city, but did little to move the grey clouds still hanging drearily in the sky. The Higurashi women walked down the mostly bare sidewalk toward the clinic. In each hand, they clutched onto a plastic bag full of groceries for the night's feast.

The two women shared laughs and light talk as the clinic came into view. It wasn't a small building, but it was no where near hospital sized. Instead, it was a five story beige building with large rectangular windows wrapped around each floor. Some plants and some flowers were scattered around the front door, which had the name of the clinic decoratively printed on it.

Kagome was familiar with the place, for she had been a patient there for as long as she could remember. She was known by several of the nurses, and even remembered the doctor visiting the Shrine for festivals. It was only when the recent baby issue crept up on her did she have to seek out other doctors.

What wasn't familiar was the large, newer model pick-up truck parked alone the street in front of the clinic. From what she could remember, Dr. Yamaguchi only rode a bicycle, with a basket and a bell. And if the weather was really bad, he'd take the train, or walk with an umbrella.

"Mama?" Kagome questioned as she grabbed her mother's arm to slow down their walking pace. "When did Dr. Yamaguchi get a truck? I thought he considered vehicles monstrous contraptions that served only to destroy nature."

Mama Higurashi glanced at the black vehicle that was parked. "He didn't," she calmly replied as they cautiously approached the clinic. The women ignore the truck as they turned toward the doors so Kagome could receive her daily injection.

"You're late wench."

Kagome spun around, already angered by the tone of voice used to call her a very unflattering name. Her eyes, narrowed and sharp, stopped on the hanyou that was now casually leaned up against the side of the mysterious black truck. That mystery was now solved.

"Wha . . . how . . . "she tried to get something out, but couldn't. It was hard to when he was looking like that. It reminded her of the time she caught him casually dressed at the grocery store. He wore loose fitting blue jeans, a large hold cut in the bend of the left knee, with an oversized heather-grey hooded sweatshirt and tennis shoes on his feet. What she really, but secretively appreciated, was that his solver hair was flowing freely.

Inuyasha pushed himself off the truck and walked toward the stuttering woman and her mother. Mama Higurashi smiled at him, bowing slightly at the man that somehow knew her daughter. Inuyasha, taken aback by the nice smile, stopped and offered the older brunette woman a polite bow as well.

Finally Kagome found her voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Kagome dear, is that any way to address a friend?"

"He's not a friend mama, he's my doctor."

Inuyasha frowned at Kagome's confession. Was that how she felt about it? In the corner of his eye, he caught the mother glancing at him, so he dropped the comment. He was here for a reason, and it wasn't going to take much time.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" her mother teased her blushing daughter.

"Fine. Mama, this is Dr. Takahashi, my fertility specialist. Dr. Takahashi, this is my mother . . . "

"Call me Mama, or Mama Higurashi. All of Kagome's friends do," she replied gently, the smile never leaving her face. Kagome only rolled her eyes at her mother's behavior. Yeah, she was right though as all of her friends did call her mother _mama_. But Inuyasha wasn't one of her friends. He couldn't be. He just couldn't be.

"Keh, call me Inuyasha then," he replied with a smirk. He noticed the look on Kagome's face, as if she was disgusted, or at least annoyed by the politeness, yet familiarity in their greetings.

"So, Dr. Takahashi, why are you here?" Kagome quickly asked before her mother started up some conversation that would delay them even longer. She had to keep a schedule; her soon to be conceived child depended on it.

"Dr. Yamaguchi ain't here."

"What?" Kagome turned and ran to the clinic, dropping her grocery bags on the way over. Grabbing a hold of the smooth metal handles of the door, she violently shook it, only to meet the resistance of locked metal. She tried shaking the doors again before changing to knocking on the glass. Someone inside might hear her.

"Kagome dear, perhaps you shouldn't be so rough on the door," her mother politely advised her. "But Inuyasha is correct. Dr. Yamaguchi isn't around. He's gone on vacation to Kyoto."

Kagome froze before slowly turning around to face her mother. "You knew and didn't tell me. Then why . . . why come here?"

"Because you said so," her mother quickly replied, tilting her head to the side with the smile on her face that never seemed to go away.

Inuyasha strolled up to Kagome, sensing her immediate distress. He placed a hand on her upper arm and gently squeezed it to get her complete attention. Her eyes stabbed his insides. She was putting so much of herself into this baby thing, and every time she cried and the other times when she struggle to fight the torrent of tears, he could see everything about her hardships.

"Don't worry so much. Why do you think I'm here, too clap? I brought the injection with me."

"Really?"

"Keh. I just said so. Better give ya a hearing test while I'm at it."

"Oh, that's good to hear." Kagome placed her hands on her hips and glanced up at the hanyou. "All right let's get this over with."

"Here?"

"Yeah why not . . . "And then it hit Kagome. She slapped her hand to her forehead and groaned out loudly. "No, not here. Definitely not here."

"Kagome. Inuyasha. I suggest we go back to the Shrine. It looks like another rain shower is headed our way."

Inuyasha glanced up at the darkening sky. He could feel the quick drop in temperature and the change in air pressure, signs of the impending rain that Kagome's mother was already aware of. "Fine. Get in the truck. I'll drive you there."

"Oh, that's so nice of you to offer," Mama Higurashi replied as she headed toward Inuyasha's truck with Inuyasha just a few steps behind her. Trying to be somewhat of a decent gentleman, he opened the door for Mama Higurashi, taking the groceries from her and helping her up into the cushioned, clean cab. He set the groceries in the tool box screwed down in the bed of his truck.

"Oi, you coming?" Inuyasha asked Kagome. It wasn't until he turned to look at her did he really see what was going on with her.

In the time he had walked to his truck, she had walked away from it. Her eyes were wide and lacked any of the life or emotion they held moments ago except one – fear. One didn't need demon senses to see her signs of her fear; trembling lips, a slight shake in her head, the way her knuckles whitened from the over-tightening of her grip on the handles of the plastic grocery bags.

"Kagome?"

Kagome took another step back. "No. I'll . . . I'll just, uh, walk," she rattled the words out, trying to tighten her grip even more. "Mama!"

Mama Higurashi sighed as she gracefully slid out of the cab of the truck. She walked up to the confused hanyou and placed a hand on his arm. "I apologize. Kagome doesn't like to travel in personal vehicles."

"I knew. I just forgot." Still, Inuyasha thought it was foolish for a grown woman to act like this. He walked up to her quicker than she could walk away from him. Taking a hard hold of her arm, he glared down at her.

Kagome gulped at the determination she saw swimming in his golden orbs. The longer she stared at them, the more she could somehow feel his determination becoming her own, like a transfer of power, or the like. She didn't think this was some hanyou voodoo. Perhaps this was just his male pride.

"I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

She barely had a chance to nod as he roughly escorted her over to his truck before she could change her mind. Kagome's mother took the grocery bags from Kagome and carefully watched as Inuyasha gently helped her petite daughter into the cab. Compliantly, Kagome climbed in, settling for the middle seat. Immediately, she went to work on securing herself safely and tightly with the seatbelt.

"Thank you," Mama Higurashi whispered as Inuyasha took the grocery bags from her and placed them with the others in the toolbox. He blushed some, but hid it behind his bangs. Helping the woman into the truck, he shut the door for her before rushing to his side and climbing in. The engine quietly purred and he drove off into the direction of the Shrine, following the instructions given to him by Mama Higurashi.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

The drive to the Shrine was mostly quiet except for the moments of Inuyasha yelling and growling at Kagome to keep her nails from digging into his legs from her death grips. Kagome only yelled back at him to _shut up_ and _leave her alone_. She couldn't help it if she was scared.

After the climb up the stairs in the gentle new rain, they made it inside moments before the onslaught of a harsh downpour started to clean the city. Mama Higurashi carried the groceries bags into the kitchen so the food could be put away until dinner later on. She did this to also give Kagome the time she needed to get her injection.

Kagome silently lead Inuyasha up the stairs to the bathroom where Inuyasha insisted on giving her the injection, though he didn't explain why and nobody asked. Kagome closed the bathroom door to give her some extra privacy. Not that she was going to get it.

Inuyasha set the white plastic box down on the counter before opening up the lid. Pushing up the sleeves of his sweatshirt, he reached into the box and pulled out a set of latex gloves. Kagome sighed, turning away so she didn't have to look at the needle. She wasn't afraid of them, she just didn't like them.

"Ready?" he asked as his glove covered hands tore open the packaged syringe.

"Oh, uh, yeah," Kagome absent-mindedly replied. She sat down on the toilet seat and rolled up the sleeve of her shirt.

Inuyasha glanced over at Kagome and scowled. "That's not how this is done."

Kagome's eyes widened with the realization of her forgetfulness, again, and the sudden embarrassment. She shot straight up from her place on the toilet seat, her back towards the doctor. The burning of her cheeks flamed out, scorching her whole body.

Reaching down, Kagome lifted up the hem of her t-shirt so she could get to the button her jeans. She took a deep breath to steady her nervous hands.

"Oi. I've seen more of you than you have," he teased her.

"Hey, I'm trying, okay," she yelled back. After fumbling briefly with the button, she hesitated for only a moment more before dropping her pants down to her knees. Inuyasha sucked in warm air the moment she bent over, gripping onto the toilet seat for leverage.

There, in all of its firm glory, was Kagome's sculpted, white cotton panty covered ass, sticking up, swaying slightly as Kagome worked on keeping her balance. Inuyasha gulped, and then gulped again. It was too tempting. He could so easily just reach out, cup his hand along the sleek fleshy cheek and . . . .

Damn, the thought as he reached jiggled his hips around to readjust a part of him that was stiffly aware of Kagome's position and his demon's desire to pounce on her. His blood was boiling hot, fighting his resisting conscience to stay in control. He was all to glad, and lucky that Kagome was facing the opposite direction, so that she couldn't see the blood sport of gold versus red.

Kagome drummed her fingers along the edge of the toilet as she waited to get this over with. It shouldn't be taking this long. Never had it taken this long with the nurses. What was he doing back there?

"Hey, what's taking so long?" she called out at him.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he injected a tiny bit of the hormone out to ride the syringe of any air bubbles. "Excuse me for not wanting to kill you," he argued back.

"Well, aren't you going to just stick it in me or what?"

Did she just . . . ? Oh, he had to smirk at that. Nor could he let the opportunity pass him by. Taking a few steps toward her, he positioned his legs up against hers, and bent over so his mouth was next to her ear, his body spooning around hers. He intentionally blew warm air against the sensitive lobe.

Kagome shivered from the pass of warm air along her skin. What is he doing? She wanted to turn her head to look at him, but knew she couldn't. Not with his face so close to hers. Something _accidental_ could happen. _Accidental_ could not happen, not if she wanted to avoid embarrassment, guilt.

"Oh, I plan to." His rich, deep, husky voice drawled out the words so that there was no way she could mistake it for something else said. In a strange, perhaps dominating way, he wanted her to know, or at least have her suspicions. He didn't know if it was something instinctual, or just a spur of the moment action, but he knew he wasn't ashamed by it, and wasn't planning on regretting it later on either.

Kagome didn't know what to do. She didn't even know how to reply to it either. She didn't think of herself as that naïve. There was definitely some other meaning hiding in his response. Or at least in the way he said it. Damn him. How was she supposed to separate the fantasy from the real thing when he was talking to her in _that_ voice?

His low rumble of a chuckle didn't help any. It was as if he knew. He knew about her fantasies and was teasing her. Her mouth parted slightly as she tried her best to analyze the situation. She felt his presence move away from her. But she remained still. This wasn't the time to think about her fantasies.

This never happened during the other injections.

"Huh?" She squeaked out when she realized that the enigmatic Dr. Takahashi was no longer near her. Standing up, she turned around to see him snapping the tip of the needle off and putting everything away into the white box. "Uh . . . my shot?" she quietly asked.

"You want another?" he blankly asked as he worked on pulling the latex gloves off of his hands: first the right, then the left.

"An . . . other?" Did that mean . . . She glanced down at her leg, inspecting the skin and sure enough, she noticed the faint red mark that normally appeared after the stabbing of the small gauge needle. When did he . . . ? How did she miss it?

Inuyasha looked back behind his shoulder, taking a final glance at the bewildered Kagome with her jeans pooled around her ankles, her oversized t-shirt just barely covering her cotton panties, the way her cheeks were flushed and her dark hair disheveled. To someone passing by . . . yeah, it looked like he gave it to her good. He left with a bittersweet smirk on his face.

Kagome fisted hands trembled as her acute awareness of the situation as well as her pants were all too clear. "Why you . . . "she gritted out, her body ready to explode, and maybe not just from anger either.

Inuyasha wandered into the kitchen to find Mama Higurashi putting the last of the groceries away. He walked over to the table, setting down the plastic box so he could fix his sleeves.

"Is it all taken care of?" she asked from behind the refrigerator door.

Inuyasha was surprised that she knew he was in the room at all. He sniffed to make sure she wasn't some youkai in disguise. "Uh, yeah. It is."

"That's good," she cheerfully replied. Standing up, she closed the door and took a few steps toward the now nervous hanyou doctor. "Thank you," she said softly, bowing deeply at the hanyou.

"Eh?" he asked. It was only an injection.

"You've helped Kagome out more than you'll ever know."

"Keh, it's only my job."

The woman shook her head, her kind, satisfying smile never leaving her face. "Not that." Mama Higurashi took a quick sigh before settling to a seat at the table. She motioned for the doctor to have a seat from across from her so she could talk to him.

"Do you know how Kagome lost her brother and grandfather?"

Inuyasha shifted uncomfortably in the chair. "Yeah. A little. A car accident or something."

"That's right," she replied with a quick nod. "An accident that she blames on herself."

"But . . . "Inuyasha started, but snapped his mouth shut to hear Mama Higurashi out.

"Her father also died in an automobile accident. One that she was too young to understand. After that, we moved here, and Kagome, her grandfather, Souta and I were a family."

Mama Higurashi's comforting chocolate eyes never left Inuyasha's. The smile remained even as she told the deeply personal and sorrowful story. "Kagome had just graduated from college. We were all so proud of her. She moved back here as she prepared herself for the next part of her life. A friend of hers had an internship at some PR firm and snagged tickets to a talk to be given by the Dali Lama and ended up giving these tickets to Kagome for help she had done for them. For a few weeks, we were devout Buddhists thought grandfather was a Shinto priest."

"Kagome was running late on the day of speech. Girls and always wanting to look right for any occasion. Finally, they were ready when Kagome received a call from the culinary school. They wanted to have an interview with her that day. She couldn't turn it down, but almost did until both Souta and her grandfather told her that not only they, but the Dali Lama himself would be upset if she didn't go. Something about walking the path Buddha had lain down upon her feet."

"Souta drove, dropping her off at the school as they made their way to the convection center."

And for the first time, her smile had faded into something grim and her eyes momentarily lost their sparkle. "Grandpa died immediately. Perhaps it was his age. It also helped that he had consumed some sake before the trip, dulling any pain he might felt. Souta though . . . he was a young, healthy boy, played a lot of soccer . . . he was severely injured. Alive, but barely."

"I was immediately contacted, but I held off informing Kagome until after her interview. For the week Souta was in the hospital, so was Kagome. She never left his side. She talked to him about her dreams, her fears; gossiped with him, told him that one of the nurses had a crush on him. She read him his favorite manga, even played his favorite video games."

"The doctors said that there was just so much trauma to his body that they couldn't even give us numbers. He was living through a machine. Kagome had described him as a comatose cyborg."

"It was me that suggested to Kagome that we cut life support. At first, she was strictly against the idea, holding out for hopes and miracles. She asked Souta what she should do. What did he want her to do? But she eventually came around, though her reasons for it are known only to her. Maybe Souta did give her his answer."

"After the funeral, she locked herself in her room. She didn't cook; she ignored her friends, everyone and everything. If she didn't have that interview, if she wasn't running late . . . if Souta had his own car and didn't have to borrow her old car. So many if's . . . and her only conclusion was that it was her fault. Her selfish desire to go to school."

"The investigation into the crash was quick, but thorough and complete. A man, on his cell with a woman, uh . . . with him in an oversize delivery truck. Souta did everything correctly." Mama Higurashi took a sigh as her story came to its conclusion. "That man and woman are in jail now."

"Ever since then, Kagome adamantly believes that cars are the cause for car accidents. In some cases, that is true. Faulty brakes, a blown tire. But, the driver of that truck was responsible. Kagome cannot separate the skills and experience of the driver from the vehicle itself."

"I really don't see how I fit into any of this."

Mama Higurashi's smile returned. "More than you know. Anytime Kagome does ride in a car, she won't talk for hours, moping about and she usually ends up crawling into bed, awake. Apparently, the truck incident hasn't affected her too much."

Inuyasha didn't really know how to respond to her. Hell, he'd only known Kagome for what . . . a month now. What kind of impact could he have made in her life in that month? An it wasn't an everyday thing. Four scheduled appointments, one happenstance meeting at a grocery store, dinner and her triad against him just yesterday. It was nothing.

Mama Higurashi beamed at him. "Don't worry about it. It's something that only I'm probably aware of and if anything were to be said to Kagome, she would flush and deny it."

"Oh, okay," he said, finding some comfort in her words.

"Mama?"

"Ma . . . oh, Dr. Takahashi. You're still here?" Kagome frowned when she saw the hanyou sitting with her mother. Kagome went to the fridge, opening it up and made a search of the food items. "What's going on?"

"Nothing dear. Just getting to know Inuyasha better."

"Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

"Kagome," her mother immediately chastised her daughter.

"Nah, she's right. I'd best be going," he replied as he pushed himself up from the chair.

"Oh, and I was going to invite you to stay for dinner."

"Mama!"

"Well, I was. It was so kind of him to come all the way here to just give you your injection, and to give us the ride. Besides, look at the rain. The streets will be flooded, visibility will be low . . . you don't want him driving home in that mess."

Kagome sighed as she pulled out the chicken they had bought earlier. She lingered in closing the fridge door. Wet streets meant a decrease in tire traction, as the water lubricated the streets, no friction for the rubber of the tire against the cement. Flooded streets caused water to splash up into engines, which could cause the engine to sputter and seize. Low visibility was just as bad . . . all of these were conditions that made driving dangerous.

"No, I wouldn't."

"There, it's decided." Mama Higurashi stood up. "Now Inuyasha, please sit back down and make this your home." She walked over to the fridge, gently pushing Kagome toward the sink. "Anything to drink Inuyasha."

"Uh, whatever you have is fine."

"Well, we have water, tea, coffee, soda, various juices, beer, sake . . . "

"Beer?!"

"Yes Kagome. Beer."

"Why is there beer in your fridge?"

"I had a friend over."

Kagome narrowed her eyes at her mother and lowered her voice. "Male or female?"

Her mother laughed out. "I'm a grown woman Kagome."

"Male or female?"

"Female." She grabbed some items from the fridge. "Ayumi's mother to be exact."

"Oh, and how is she?" Kagome asked cheerily.

"Excited for her first grandchild. Already conspiring about the many ways she plans to spoil it."

Kagome's shoulders slumped forward. "Right." Kagome dumped the chicken into the sink so she could wash it. "I'm throwing her a baby shower in a few months."

"What a wonderful idea."

"Yeah," she replied sarcastically.

Mama Higurashi grabbed a bottle of chilled green tea for herself and placed a canned beverage in front of Inuyasha. He took a quick glance at it, reading the label before looking up at Kagome's mother. She grabbed tea for herself and gave him . . . beer?

"You'll need it," she whispered to him.

Inuyasha smirked as he reached out for the beverage, cracked open the tab and took a deep drink. Mama Higurashi sat back down across from him and twisted the cap off of her drink.

"So, mama, what were you and Dr. Takahashi talking about?" Kagome pulled the cleaned chicken out of the sink and onto a bamboo cutting board. She ran her fingers over the knife selection and chose one, carefully examining the blade before going to work.

"I was just getting ready to ask him how he became a doctor."

Inuyasha set the can of liquor down onto the table. "Well, graduated with a double degree in chemistry and biology, got a Ph.D. in biochemistry before heading off to med school. Wasn't sure what kind of doctor I wanted to be. A friend of mine was going into obstetrics, so I followed. Found out that there were a lot of women that were having trouble conceiving and I was drawn to help them. Started my own clinic and . . . yeah. That's pretty much it."

Kagome started laughing as she cut away at the chicken, cutting the white meat into cubes chunks. "You are such a liar."

Inuyasha growled at her name calling. She really liked to do that to him. Mama Higurashi turned around in her seat to Kagome pointing a sharp knife at their guest.

"Kagome . . . "

"What? He's lying."

"I know that. But you don't have to point knives at people. It's rude and I know I taught my daughter better manners than that."

"Sorry." Kagome dropped the knife and turned back to the chicken. "It's just that no one blindly follows a man whose only reason to be a gynecologist is to pick up women and ends up being the so-called best in their field."

Inuyasha glanced down at the table, his fingers idly turning the can around in his palm. She was right. Miroku had nothing to do with his chosen career path. He was a guy he had just happened to meet along the way. Yes, they were friends, good friends, best friends, but Miroku was not the reason for anything.

"And another thing, the name of your clinic, Izayoi, isn't typical," Kagome continued, not once seeing the pain, sadness and loss in his hard golden eyes. Her mother did though. "It's a girl's name. Was she your grandmother, sister, girlfriend . . . "

"My mother."

Kagome stopped. His mother. The way he said it, it almost sounded like . . . he missed her. It was how she spoke Souta's name. Softly and with some reservation. Kagome didn't like to speak his name because of the memories and ultimately the reminder of sadness. Despite the good times she had, they were nevermore.

"I named it in honor of her. She's the reason I'm what I am today."

There were several reasons why Inuyasha didn't like to talk about his mother. And those reasons stood firm. Nothing at this moment was going to change his mind. He decided that he had explained enough to them. He was a fertility specialist because of his mother and because of it; he named the clinic after the only person in the world that deserved that honor.

And now, the name Izayoi was synonymous with fertility, sexual health, and a place where most dreams for a healthy family could come true. That was more than he could ask for. His mother's name no longer tainted as a _demon's whore_ but a mother, a godmother to all.

Mama Higurashi reached out and took a hold of his hand, gripping it firmly. She offered him a smile that warmed his heart and comforted his soul, and she sent him silent acknowledgement that she understand that it was not a topic to continue discussing. But more than that, she offered him a comfort he hadn't felt in a really long time, a motherly comfort.

"That's beautiful," she replied with tears in her aging eyes. And that was all she was going to say about the matter. "Of course, living on a shrine, we see and hear about all kinds of wonderful things. Do you know much about these grounds?" And that was how she dropped the uncomfortable subject and swiftly changed it into a safe conversation for all.

Inuyasha shook his head, but listened intently as Mama Higurashi described the varied and violent history of the Shrine, interjecting cute and embarrassing stories about Kagome when she could. Kagome missed most of it as she worked on dinner.

Kagome had tried to defend herself, but only dug herself into deeper embarrassment. She decided it was best to not listen to her mother at all and instead, work on giving both of them a superb dinner.

What was strange about all of this was how relaxing and natural feeling it was to have Inuyasha sitting there sharing stories with her mother, her cooking dinner, and everyone enjoying themselves as if this was a normal occurrence. Kagome had to wonder, what did it mean?

Outside of her fantasies, she and Inuyasha could agree on disagreeing. They argued, called each other names . . . she was with Hojo, and he was most likely with that other woman she saw at his office twice, a woman who was in a class far above Kagome. She was sexy, refined, graceful, and confident and everything Kagome was not. The type of woman Inuyasha deserved.

Kagome let out a soft sigh. What did any of it matter? She was with Hojo, he was with that woman and that was how it was. There was no need to worry herself over these tiny, insignificant details. Her mother was always like this, polite and caring of anyone who was invited into their humble shrine home. This was just her mother being nice, nothing more.

"Oi, wench. Are we going to be eating anytime before the year ends?"

"I'm not hearing that," Kagome sang out, ignoring him as she concentrating on creating a meal that not only looked good, but tasted good as well. Food was about pleasing as many of the senses as possible.

"Kagome, leave him alone. He's a male. They think with their stomachs," her mother explained. "You remember your grandfather and brother both. Food, sake, and ancient relics and stories for your grandfather. Food, soccer, and video games for Souta."

"You forgot girls," Kagome joked and then turned her attention back to the food before her feelings had a chance to surface. There, it looked done and it looked good. "Okay, ready?"

"Of course dear."

Kagome sat down a plate in front of her mother and one in front of Inuyasha. It was a long rectangular shape, deep, white, with three pieces of deep friend chicken, lined up in a row. Above each piece of chicken was a piece of sliced citrus fruit, one lemon, one lime and one orange. Below each piece of chicken was a tiny rice ball.

Inuyasha frowned at the dainty portion size. He looked up at Kagome as she eagerly awaited their opinions. "_Kara-age_?" he questioned. This was the meal her mother was anticipating? Had she never had it before? He couldn't believe that.

"Yes," Kagome answered, still waiting. "You can at least eat it."

"Eat? This? How is this supposed to feed me?"

"Please."

Mama Higurashi decided to try the orange first, a citrus fruit she hadn't seen paired with _kara-age_ before. She squeezed a generous amount of the acidic juice on top of the accompanying chicken piece. Reaching for the chopsticks, she picked up the chicken and placed the deep fried meat into her mouth.

"Oh, Kagome . . . this is . . . "Her mother gushed at the taste. Without another word, she tried the lime next, since that too was a fruit not normally used with this dish.

Inuyasha followed Mama Higurashi. He squeezed the fruit juice over what he could barely even consider a piece of meat and used his claws to pop the chicken into his mouth. He quickly devoured the other two pieces and finished up the rice.

"Well?"

Inuyasha shrugged is shoulders. It was decent tasting food, what more did she need to know? Other than that he wanted more.

"Kagome, this is . . . excellent. How did you manage to mix the flavors so well, and so differently?"

"I just matched things. I used crushed chives with the orange, some oregano with the lemon and paprika with the lime."

"Fabulous. A definite keeper."

"Is that it?"

"Is that . . . Aren't you going to say anything about it's taste?"

"Keh, I ate it, didn't I?"

"Argh!" Kagome screeched as she stormed off toward the stove. Kagome came marching back to the table, slamming down a tray with three bowls of deep fried chicken, a bowl of sliced citrus fruit and lastly a bowl of rice. "There."

Inuyasha grinned at the sight of the large helpings of food. "Now this is a meal."

"Aren't you going to join us Kagome?"

"I have to clean up my mess first."

Inuyasha stood up and walked over to a confused Kagome, grabbed a hold of her shoulders and plopped her down in the empty seat next to his. She tried this before when he was around.

"Eat," he commanded, sitting back down in his chair. "Your mother has been waiting," was his excuse.

"Inuyasha, that's okay. Kagome has never been one to eat her own meals," Mama Higurashi said, hoping to explain her daughter's strange behavior.

"Then she should stop cooking. Kagome needs to eat. If she doesn't, it'll mess up the hormones we've been injecting her with. Second, she needs the nutrients and energy to keep up with all of this." He then turned to Kagome and pointed a clawed finger at her. "Being pregnant isn't about being a size four."

"I know that," Kagome argued back, taking out her rising temperament on the poor slices of citrus fruit.

"And didn't you say that you were a nutritionist. I shouldn't have to tell you this."

"I know that too."

"Then why don't you eat your own food? It's fuckin' delicious." Inuyasha popped another handful of deep friend chicken into his mouth.

"He's right Kagome. You always want others to eat good food, the same should go for yourself. And your food is really good. You deserve it." Mama Higurashi smiled at her daughter before turning back to her meal. "Besides, once you become pregnant, you'll be unable to control your cravings. When I was pregnant with you, I always had a craving for pickled sea-cucumbers smothered in thick brown gravy with sprinkled cheese on top."

"You fed that to me? Ew."

"You didn't seem to mind it at the time. So, eat what you can choose now."

Kagome scrunched up her face at her mother's perky attitude about everything. Still, she knew her mother, and even Inuyasha were right. She took a class at school about nutrition and pregnancy, as well as the importance of exercise. But she not eating her own cooking had nothing to do with being pregnant, or not wanting to eat.

The subject of conversation around the dinner table quickly veered away from any baby talk to lighter subjects. Kagome updated her mother on the lives of her friends and the restaurants they visited. From that, she told her mother as well as Inuyasha which restaurants they should definitely sample if given the time.

What was lacking from the conversation was Hojo. Not once did either her mother or Inuyasha ask about Kagome's other half. No one wondered where he was at, how he was doing since no one could ask about what he was doing, or why he hadn't called. Inuyasha didn't ask about Hojo because he didn't care at all about Hojo. Sure, his employment at Bio-Guchi was of some importance, it did keep his case open with the board of directors, but other than that, the guy had nothing going for him.

All of the chicken _kara-age_ had been consumed, mostly thanks to Inuyasha's large appetite. Mama Higurashi served up tea as she told more stories about the shrine, its history and how grandfather always had a skewed sense of its history, but was nonetheless, quite the storyteller. Talks of grandfather lead to the income of the Shrine, how it earned money and that they were looking for a new priest to carry on its traditions, but that the position of Shrine priest just wasn't popular with the younger generation and this made the future of the Shrine unclear. However, Mama Higurashi was willing to concede to the fact that perhaps the time of this Shrine had come to its end.

During the middle of that conversation, the party of three had ventured from the kitchen to the living room to be more comfortable. Kagome and Inuyasha sat on the couch, on opposite ends of course while Mama Higurashi sat across from them in a chair. A fire softly burned in the background. It was here that that conversation ended. Mama Higurashi excused herself for the night to retire to bed, wishing Kagome and the doctor with the cute ears a good night.

"Your mom's kinda nice," Inuyasha said when Mama Higurashi was out of hearing range. He had to be sure, even though she wasn't youkai, she still had those damn motherly senses.

"She's the best."

Inuyasha stood up, tugging down his pant legs. "Thanks for the dinner."

Kagome stood up as well. "Oh, no problem. I mean, thank you for coming out here for my injection."

"Right."

"I'll be at the clinic tomorrow, your clinic maybe, so . . . "

"It's late. I gotta get going."

"Let me, uh, walk you out." Kagome hurried in front of him, arriving at the door before he did. He was right behind her, slipping into his shoes and quickly tying up the laces.

"I'll have Saori call you this week so we can set up an appointment for you to meet with Dr. Miroku."

"Oh, why is that?"

"He's going to be your obstetrician. We'll both be there, along with Sango to explain the technical crap with in-vitro."

"Well I have been through the process before."

"Legal stuff. Plus, I think Miroku just wants to see you again."

"Is it okay for him to do that?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "He has his reasons. However, the two you have never been introduced properly, patient to doctor."

"That's true. He probably just wants another bottle of dressing. Okay. Sounds good. Please drive safely and good night."

"Yeah, you too."

Kagome opened the door and together they watched as what appeared to be a sheet of rain blocking Inuyasha's exit. The downpour howled with the wind and it had only gotten worse since the afternoon storm. Not only was it dark out, but with the wall of water, it was difficult to see even a few inches in front of one's own nose.

Fuck, it was going to be a hellish drive home, considering he lived on the other side of the city. He wasn't going to tell her that. No need to make her feel bad fro having him drive all of the way out here just to give her an injection.

"Ah shit." He frowned not really at the idea of driving in this weather, but the long walk down the steps to his truck. He hated when his ears got wet, especially from the cold rain water. It gave him a chill that took hours to get rid of. "Well . . . "

Inuyasha tried to take a step outside, but was stopped. Turning his head back, he found Kagome right behind him, her head bowed down so that her bangs hid her eyes, and both her hands tightly gripping onto his arm, holding him back. He turned his body around so that he was standing at an angle that didn't hurt his shoulder so much.

"Ka .. . gome," her name just slipped out. Really, he wanted to yell something out at her.

"Please don't go," her low, shaky voice pleaded out.

"What?"

Kagome looked up at him, finding his golden eyes immediately. She was unable to tell him how scared she was for him, so she'd let her eyes do the talking. "Don't drive in this."

"Kagome, this is nothing." He hoped his words could assure her that he was more than capable of driving in this crap.

"I . . . "Kagome released his arm, her head dropping back down. She couldn't tell him that she feared for his safety, that she didn't want to see anything bad happen to him. A gut feeling, woman's intuition, a sixth sense, whatever it was called, it was responsible for her worrisome feelings. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to . . . I-I've just got this bad feeling. It's ridiculous really."

He stared at her. What he got from her feelings was that she was truly afraid, that her bad feeling would become true. She truly, honestly believed it. He knew she didn't like riding in cars, but it surprised him that it carried over this far.

"We have a guest room you can use."

"Are you sure?"

"Hmm-mmm. My mom would prefer it as well. She . . . she would be worried."

Inuyasha stepped back inside, closing and locking the front door up. "All right." He slipped off his shoes and followed Kagome back into the living room.

Was it time for bed? What then? He just decided to follow her around until she said something.

"Are you hungry? Thirsty?" Kagome asked, stopping next to the couch before turning to face him. "I'm not tired yet."

"Whatever," he casually said, taking his seat back on the couch, getting comfortable in the same spot once again. Glancing around the room, he took more notice of the décor, the little things that created the cozy atmosphere of the living room. It was mostly personal affects, pictures, awards and the artwork that couldn't be bought in galleries.

Kagome returned with her arms full of snacks for them to share until someone made a declaration of sleep. She set down a bowl full of assorted rice crackers first, followed by bottles of water and juice. Since she was currently banned from alcohol, anyone else around her would be as well. It's not nice to have someone drink alone.

Plopping down into the corner of her side of the couch, Kagome reached over and grabbed a water bottle for herself. The other available drinks on the table were for the hanyou if the doctor decided he was something other than _whatever_.

They sat in silence, listening to the tap dancing of the raining dogs against the corrugated metal eaves. It was calming in some regards, but it pointed out that there was no conversation happening. Kagome grabbed the bowl of rice crackers, sifted through the different types until finding her favorite and stuck it in her mouth.

"So . . . "Kagome spoke out, searching her brain for some safe topic to talk about. "Other than being a doctor, what else do you do?"

Inuyasha just shrugged his shoulders. "Depends."

"Depends? Depends on what?"

"Time. My current workload."

"Okay. Say you have plenty of time and your workload is small . . . what would you do?"

"I dunno. Go to a conference, catch up on my reading."

Kagome frowned. "That's it?"

"Yeah."

"No golfing or fishing?"

"Keh, who does that sort of shit?"

"Other doctors."

"Bunch of lazy asses."

"So, it's nothing but work for you?"

"Damn right."

"All work and no play will make you a dull hanyou," she teased.

"Doesn't matter. I don't have time for any of that extracurricular shit. I have a job to do."

"Do you do it for you, or your mother?" Kagome wasn't looking at Inuyasha when she posed the question. He looked away from her, having been found out so easily by her. His body tensed as he readied his denial. Kagome didn't give him a chance to reply.

"I don't know myself. My whole time at cooking school, I wonder if I'm there for myself and my dreams, my goals, or because I somehow feel indebted to them." Inuyasha followed her gaze to find her staring at a photo of herself with what appeared to be her brother Souta and her grandfather.

"I get confused. Who does my life belong to? Daughter . . . girlfriend . . . mother . . . maybe someday, but what about chef . . . or sister, granddaughter . . . I'm no longer any of those. I've had to give it up. No." She shook her head. "I had it taken away from me." Kagome looked over at Inuyasha. "Your mother . . . how did she . . . ?"

Inuyasha let all of his muscles relax. He had never told anyone this, his story. It made him vulnerable, more human that he wanted to feel, accept. His childhood was sad and lonely, though his adult life wasn't much different. And maybe that was why he felt almost comfortable enough to share his sad story with Kagome. Or maybe it was something else, Kagome's frankness . . . her own openness with him . . . his wanting to be completely honest with her.

"My dad, he died first."

"Wha . . . "Kagome carefully watched Inuyasha. He wouldn't cry, not in front of her. However, she noticed the other ways he expressed his grief. For starters, he wasn't making any eye contact with her. So she couldn't she his glossed over, hazy eyes. His body was hunched forward, his shoulders sadly slumped and his ears lying flat, hiding in his thick silver hair.

"Suspicious circumstances. I was just a pup . . . three years old. It's still unsolved . . . "Inuyasha took a deep breath to steady his nerves. It really had been a long time since he confronted his past this directly.

"During the time after my birth, and before my pops death, my mother, she tried to give me a sibling. She knew that I would be lonely. Hanyou are rare . . . there are few of us . . . and even then, species don't intermingle. Unless . . . she wanted another child for me, for her, for my dad, but it wasn't happening."

"She went to doctors, so-called fertility specialists, and they couldn't do anything for her. Many didn't want to. Fuckin' hypocritical bastards. No one knew, no one understood . . . the science, the knowledge . . . it just wasn't there yet. Then, it was too late. She couldn't take it anymore. Not the treatments and medical procedures, but the loss of her husband, going at it alone . . . ah . . . "

When . . . when did Kagome move? How did he not sense her moving so close to him, her body right up against his, her arms wrapped around him and her head leaning against the backside of his shoulder. What the hell was she doing? What the hell was she going to do to him?

"It's okay," she whispered to the hanyou doctor.

Inuyasha closed his eyes, enjoying the moment, even if he was enjoying it for all of the wrong reasons. Very bad reasons. He wasn't playing the sympathy card just to get the girl. It just sorta happened that way.

Kagome snuggled her head into his shoulder, hugging him tighter. "I'm sorry for thinking that you couldn't understand me . . . my struggles . . . "She then chuckled into his sweatshirt. "Sometimes I'm such an idiot. We're similar . . . "

"Keh," he thoughtfully responded. Reaching out, he hesitated for a moment before deciding to brush his claws through her hair. He didn't want her to feel bad on his account. The only reason he shared his story was because of her invitation.

"Do . . . do you think it's possible, for those who are damaged, the find happiness?" Inuyasha glanced back over his shoulder to get a glimpse of her. She shook her head, trying to hide from his gaze. "Don't answer that. I shouldn't expect you to." Kagome pulled away from Inuyasha and she missed his whimper from the unexpected loss of contact. "I can't even answer it for myself."

"Are you saying you haven't found it yet?"

Kagome was surprised to hear him ask her that. It was a loaded question. She couldn't answer with a straight no, but she couldn't say yes either. The real question was: what was her happiness?

She just shrugged. "I don't know yet. My mother thinks I'm too young to think such things. That I haven't lived enough to know the difference between temporary happiness and the real thing." Turning to him, she shook her head, a faint smile on her face. "I should be talking to Sango about these things, though I don't. She'll ask me if a child will bring me closer to that happiness or something like that. And I-I just don't know."

Letting out a half-sigh-half-laugh, she fell back into the couch. It was getting late. "Maybe I'll have to ask her if she's happy with her so-called love affair with Dr. Miroku."

"You know?"

Kagome looked over at him, a bright smile now on her face. "It's _so_ obvious," she squealed out like a gossiping junior high student.

Inuyasha smirked. He couldn't wait to tease his human friends. Never could he tease the two of them when they were together, but just they wait.

Kagome sighed once again. "I think I'm ready for bed." Standing up, she left Inuyasha sitting on the couch as she made her way to the stairs, stepping up a few. Stopping about two-thirds the way up, she turned. "Are you coming?"

Inuyasha found himself unable to move as he was trapped in his own fantasy that bordered too close to reality. Seeing Kagome like that, inviting him upstairs, it could be real. She could be his. This could be his life. A beautiful woman, no, just Kagome, telling him that it was time to come up to bed . . . their bed.

"Yeah," he grumbled as the fantasy broke down in the face of the truth. Kagome wasn't his. She would never be his. That image, it would be nothing more than a poor representation of what his life could be life and a clear reminder of what he'd never have in his life.

Pushing himself off the couch, he hurried to catch up to Kagome. He followed her down the darkened hallway, past large displays of more pictures of the family. Kagome opened a door and motioned for him to enter.

He found a nice sized room, clean and comforting for the night. It was plainly decorated, but he didn't care. It had a large bed, curtains, blankets and a pillow. He didn't require anything else for sleep.

"I hope this works for you."

"Eh, yeah. It's fine."

"The bathroom is just across the hall. You'll find fresh towels on the shelf inside. Uh . . . do you need a change of clothes or anything?"

"Not really."

Kagome giggled. "Fine. But to fairly warn you, my mother is up awfully early."

Inuyasha only shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever."

"Shorts, pants, sweats . . . ?"

"Whatever, really."

"Okay, I'll be right back then."

Once Kagome was gone, Inuyasha walked over to the bed and sat down. He bounced up and down on the mattress a few times to check out its condition. It was firm, but soft, much like his mattress at home. That would make it easier to sleep.

Grabbing the bottom of his sweatshirt, he pulled it off and tossed it on a nearby chair. He took a deep breath which was followed by a yawn. This was a mistake. He knew it was. Being here, being so close to her, he knew better. He didn't want to cause any trouble. He also didn't want to torture himself like this. It wasn't healthy.

"Shit," he whispered as he stood up. He pulled the blankets back and tossed the decorative pillows over to the far side of the bed. What was with women and the need for a mountain of pillows that couldn't even be slept on?

Why was he here? Why did he do this to himself? It was only going to make things that much more difficult for him. Why did she have to be so damn understanding? And accepting? Even her mother was too nice for her own good. They were really good at making him feel so welcomed at their home and – gasp – a member of the family. It was a fucked up form of torture.

Yeah, sometimes he was a whiny bitch. But it didn't matter. He was here now, and wasn't planning on leaving. Maybe he'd slip out in the morning, leave a note saying he had something to do. Inuyasha just shrugged it off. Hell, he was lying to himself, might as well lie to everyone else too.

It was bed time. That was obvious. He was over-thinking every little thing. There were nice people in the world and he just happened to meet two of them. _Gah_ . . . he just needed to sleep. He tore of his t-shirt as he waited for Kagome to return.

Kagome held her breath in as she watched her hanyou-doctor-fantasy strip off his tee, shaking his head so that his hair hung down the length of his lean back. Eyeing his back muscles, her fantasies did him little justice. She knew he had some muscles, but she didn't figure him to be in that good of shape.

"Sorry," she said, backing out into the hallway. She didn't mean to walk in on him, but she didn't want to be caught staring – ogling – _drooling_ – over him either.

Inuyasha turned around. He could see Kagome standing just outside the door. "It's fine. You can come in."

Kagome walked in, keeping her head down, eyes focused on the floor as she didn't want to see how chiseled his front side was or how low his jeans hung from his hips. Okay, she was curious, but, just couldn't risk it.

"Here." She handed him a folded pair of red _hakama_.

"Thanks." He took them from her and shook them out. It had been a while since he had worn anything so traditional. Black. The black funeral kimono. At his mother's funeral.

"My mom is normally up around seven-ish. Breakfast will be served around nine. That's if-if you are still here."

Inuyasha tossed the _hakama_ onto the bed. "Okay."

Kagome took a deep breath before deciding to look up at the hanyou. Her curiosity however was not satisfied. Oh, he was chiseled nicely – oh so nicely, his chest framed with silver hair and his slightly protruding hip bones. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat, the build-up of drool that she couldn't release in front of him. "Uh . . . good night then."

"Keh, you too."

She figured she would with dreams of him. Oh boy, was she in deep, _deep_ trouble.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**


	13. Chapter 13

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Thirteen A Divorce**

'_Are you sure?_'

"Where's Kagome?"

"Ah, good morning Inuyasha. Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I did actually."

'_I'm fairly sure._'

'_Could you look again_ . . . '

"Oh, Kagome went for her morning jog. She should be back soon as she plans on making breakfast."

'_Sorry this is taking so long, we're trying to digitalize everything and things are a bit disorganized_.'

"Last time, she made these crepes filled with a sour cream cheese filling topped with a honey-raspberry sauce. I felt so bad for eating something so sweet for breakfast."

'_Thanks then._'

"Would you like something to drink as we wait for Kagome?"

"Sure."

"It was very stormy last night. I'm glad Kagome asked for you to stay the night. I was worried about what might happen with you driving out in that nasty weather."

"Keh, it was late anyways."

"Here." Mama Higurashi sat down across from Inuyasha, handing him a large glass of orange juice, serving herself a smaller amount. "I see she found you some pajamas. Too many times did the children dress up in Shinto garb to entertain visitors. They hated it at the time, but now, I think Kagome misses it."

A comfortable silence drip-dropped between the two as they waited for Kagome to return. Inuyasha was okay with it. He didn't know what he could say to her and he didn't want to divulge any of his own personal history to her so early in the morning. And to him, it seemed that Mama Higurashi was just as hesitant to say anything about her own issues. That's even if she had any.

He drank the juice she had given to him. After a single gulp, he noticed that Mama Higurashi had gone to the fridge to grab the container of juice so she could re-fill his glass enough times until Kagome's return. Speaking of which, where was her daughter?

That question was answered by the kitchen door slamming open, following by two clunking sounds. Kagome emerged, her hair messy, but mostly contained by an elastic tie holding it in a bobbing ponytail.

"Kagome," her mother called out, watching as her daughter ignored her and headed to the fridge, looking for something. "Kagome." Not finding what she wanted, she closed the door, walking away and finally out of the kitchen. "Kagome," her mother whined, unable to believe the lack of manners her daughter had just displayed. She figured she had raised the girl better than that.

"I'm sorry about that." Mama Higurashi frowned briefly before smiling at the hanyou. "Normally, she's a bit more . . . friendlier than that."

Inuyasha only nodded. He had been struck hard by Kagome's appearance to not care so much about manners and morning etiquette. It was definitely getting warmer outside. Kagome had dressed in anticipation of cool morning weather and exercising.

He did miss the way the black Lycra shorts and matching tank top hugged her curves and muscles. Only her breasts needed to be held in place. Every other part of her was perfect, in his opinion. A perfect mix of muscle and womanly curve. His demon sight didn't miss how the muscles twitched underneath her skin and wondered if it would be the same after an intense love-making session.

Lately, that was how his mind was working. Taking something innocent and normal only to twist it into something so pornographic and erotic. He never saw it as something dirty. Sex wasn't dirty, sweaty, but not dirty, unless food or mud was involved. And it only happened with Kagome. Everything was doing this to him. Everything his senses picked up on was soiled with fantasies of what he could do with Kagome.

_But it's spring_.

Damn, why didn't he realize it sooner? His hormones, his mind and his overwhelming youki should have clued him in earlier to this natural part of the cycle of his life. Toss in a non-existent sex life and this was all magnified to an unimaginable degree. His infatuation with Kagome was nothing more than Mother Nature telling him that he needed to get some ass. And that was the end of it.

He didn't have to like her and he wasn't in love with her. Feelings like that come from his human side. And during the spring, his demon side was mostly in command. His demon side only viewed Kagome as a quick fix to this springtime urge, another victim of the hump n' dump. Some inu-youkai were like that. Some of his kind were possessive and could mate for life, and others . . . well, they just didn't give a fuck, other than the fuck itself.

Kagome walked back into the kitchen, changed into a cotton tank top and loose fitting jeans. Her first stop was the fridge. Kagome pulled out a handful of items, bags of fresh vegetables, wrapped, specially cut meat, and a cartoon of eggs. Those were carefully deposited onto the counter. Next, she rummaged through the cupboards to find the dry herbs and spices required for this morning's breakfast.

She ignored her mother and their guest so she could completely focus on the task ahead of her: to make the best breakfast possible. With every meal, she worked to outdo her previous meal and to make the recipient of said meal not only smile, but for the duration of that meal, to feel that everything in their lives was just good. It didn't have to be a perfect life, because that ideal perfection just didn't exist, but it didn't hurt to have that feeling for a moment. Kagome wanted her meals to mean more than just nutrients to sustain the body or something to quiet a grumbling belly for a few hours. Food was meant to mean so much more and even to be something personal.

For Kagome, meals, the food she cooked, had a different meaning, one that was now lost to her. She cooked, baked, broiled and grilled with the purpose of only pleasing others, never for herself. The food, the smells, taste of flavors, the smiles, they were never for her, not anymore. She lost the right to enjoy in the indulgence of pleasing her own senses, her own self-inflicted sentence.

How long was she going to do this to herself? Kagome finely chopped up the tomatoes, cilantro, onions and peppers as her mind cycled through the reasons for her punishment. For starters, a dead grandfather and brother . . . and now, her added confusion about her doctor. He had to be something the devil himself sent to Earth as some kind of test. Perhaps, if she passed, she would be granted with a child of her own. She heard about these types of things; women having to prove themselves to some divine entity to be granted with a good life later on.

Once the vegetables were chopped up good, she tossed them into a heated skillet with some extra virgin olive oil and spiced with up with her own signature spicy mix. Mama Higurashi wanted to watch her daughter cook, wanted to see how her daughter created something memorable as well as edible. But with the guest seated across from her, she felt a duty to entertain him.

"Inuyasha, since the weather is nice, let me show you the grounds while Kagome is occupied in her cooking."

"Uh, okay." It would do him some good to get outside, away from Kagome for a few minutes, allow him some time to cool his youkai down. Inuyasha pushed himself away from the table and followed the older woman outside. He took a glance back at Kagome, catching her in the process of cooking, seeing something different about her, a calm he hadn't seen in her since that time at the grocery store, or a few times during the dinner. He thought he saw a smile tug at her lips, but decided that he imagined it the moment he stepped out into the morning sun.

Mama Higurashi smiled as she vibrantly told the stories her father-in-law shared to so many others. That was why it was sunny outside, just so she could tell Inuyasha the history of Kagome's family. Mama Higurashi felt that the sun's warmth was a little warmer, feeling more like a smile than some gaseous ball in space. Did it mean something? Living at the Shrine, she grew to believe that things had a time and purpose. Not everything was destined to be, but, there were paths laid down.

Inuyasha found his frazzled nerves cooling off under the shade of the tree he heard called _The Goshinboku_. Its grandiose trunk was thick, strong and it stood tall and proud. Inuyasha never before believed that a tree could be something to live up to in one's life. He wouldn't mind a life like that.

What he found here at the Shrine was something from a dream. And like all dreams, the moment he stepped away from the Shrine, he would wake and the dream would just fade away.

Once the stories were done being shared, Mama Higurashi and Inuyasha sat silently, but comfortably on the smooth, cool stone bench in the shade across from the grassy, yet protected and holy plot of _The Goshinboku_. The leaves danced and swayed with the gentle spring breeze as its partner, relishing in the cleanliness of the new morning. He closed his eyes, darkening one sense only to elevate the others.

The tiny baby birds, born confined to their nests now sang the fluted songs of freedom. Bright cheery notes swooned about the tiny hairs of his ears, flying about just like the songs' owners. Something about the spring, and things needing to escape to be free, the sun, a gentle breeze, birds, flowers and his damned horny youkai. The thought of Kagome frightened the birds away with a roar of charged up blood.

With his eyes and ears closed off to the worldly affects of spring, he hoped to relax with some peace of mind . . . and peace from hormones. He wasn't some adolescent pup turned on my anything and everything female. Those were wolves. He was strong and in control of his youkai and what little emotions he showed. He took in full, deep breaths, letting his lungs fill up like party balloons before slowly releasing the air out. In through his nose, catching the scents of spring washed leaves and grass, then releasing out through his mouth. Neutral earthy scents dominated the Shrine, keeping out the varied fossil fuels involved in the day-to-day livings of the outside world.

For him, as an inu-hanyou, scent was his most vital asset, as well as his worst enemy. But with the fresh air being the only thing he was inhaling, he could calm down. Seeing Kagome in Lycra, smelling her sweet sweat . . . he was sure someone would catch the claw marks in the chair. Another deep breath, in came the smell of the flowers Mama Higurashi had planted, the moldy wood of the old buildings, steak, eggs . . . His eyes popped open.

_Breakfast_.

Mama Higurashi was already on her feet, smiling warmly at him with her small hand extended out. His sparking sunshiny orbs dipped into melted warm chocolate ones, startling him from his peace. He saw not the sadness of a woman who lost her husband, her father and her child, but her happiness and love for Kagome and her approval of . . . him. It was a shock. No on accepted him, a hanyou so openly and pure like both Mama Higurashi and Kagome had.

He took her hand, so warm and soft, and stood up, following the woman through the kitchen door back into the Shrine house. Kagome greeted them both with a smile of her own. The table had been set with the prepared breakfast. The food seemed to be the only elaborate part of the morning meal. Also placed on the table were several jugs of juices, as well as tea and water. Kagome really went all out for these meals of hers.

They sat down silently as Kagome busied herself with little things, dirty dishes placed in the sink, salt and pepper on the table, napkins and the sort.

"Kagome, sit down and eat with us. Don't worry about the mess, I'll take care of that, remember?"

Kagome put the dirty pan she held in her hand back down onto the burner and made her way over to the table, the seat across from her mother and next to Inuyasha, the same seating assignment as last night's dinner.

"So, tell us what amazing dish we will be feasting upon this morning? It looks and smells so delicious." Mama Higurashi hungrily eyed the morning treats displayed in front of her.

A sauce of fiery red juxtaposed against jealous green blanketed a pile of eggs with strips of succulently seasoned steak hidden underneath with two freshly oiled corn tortillas as the base. A pleasant swirl of acidic fruits of the salsas and the strong smell of the slightly pink meat quickly filled the room. The sizzling sounds of the meat were muffled and snuffed out by the quiet egg.

"It's called _Huevos Divorciados_, Spanish for . . . for di-divorced eggs, named for the obvious separation of the two eggs by the different colored salsas. I-I added steak to compliment the flavors of the salsas as well as a way to add meat to this dish."

Kagome beamed at the meal, satisfied with the way it looked. And the smell reminded her of sitting at the _Azul Luna _with her friends.

"Itadakimasu," her mother sang out, reaching out for the fork, something she really only used with Kagome came to visit. It was a utensil she reserved for her meals with Kagome and Kagome only.

Kagome and Inuyasha mumbled through their thanks and quietly started in on their breakfast. Mama Higurashi took a peep at the youngsters and sighed. The food was superb as Mama Higurashi had suspected, but the conversation was significantly lacking.

"So, Kagome, how was your jog this morning?"

Kagome slammed her fork onto the table, her face bunched up in a terrible scowl. "Stupid . . . ugh . . . where do people learn to drive? Seriously! I was jogging and this-this airhead, on his cell phone almost hit me."

Mama Higurashi caught the low rumblings of Inuyasha's growl. She grinned to herself, turning back to her meal and Kagome's story. Still, she wanted to wonder, what such a growl could mean in this situation. Was it because of Kagome's usual clumsiness, or the airhead driver?

"As long as you're okay dear."

"Mama, how can you be so calm? Sheesh." Kagome picked up her forked and shoveled some food into her mouth, and chewed on it while she fumed over the fact that some boneheaded idiot almost banger her up with his piece of crap car.

"Where did you run?"

Kagome paused, holding the fork full of food just at her lips. "Huh?"

"What path did you decide to take this morning?"

"Oh, down by the high school and to the park," Kagome muttered before stuffing her mouth full of spicy egg, juicy steak and the softening corn tortilla.

"Did you like it?"

"Like what?"

"The new flowers. Honestly Kagome, you should pay more attention to things when you're running. No wonder you almost jogged into a car."

"I uh, I didn't actually run through the park. I just ran around it."

"Oh, sorry dear. Inuyasha, honey, what do you think about Kagome's delectable breakfast?"

"Keh, its fine." He had remained silent and determined to finish the spicy meal without being drawn into their mother-daughter banter. It seemed to be a normal occurrence between the two women.

Kagome glanced over at Inuyasha, searching his eyes, face, perhaps looking for something along the lines of the truth. Something her mother told her about men and eating. Indeed his plate was mostly empty, but looking at his face, the blank look, his dull eyes, something was wrong with the meal.

Her question was answered the moment poured himself what was his fourth – maybe fifth glass of water. "Why didn't you say something?" Kagome jumped out of her chair, stomping over to the fridge. Opening the thick door, the burst of cool air was refreshing considering the meal. Kagome pulled out a jug of milk.

"Here, drink some of this." Kagome filled his glass for him, handing it over. "Water isn't a good choice to cool a burning tongue." Inuyasha gulped the large serving down in one swallow only to old out his empty glass for her to refill it. She did. "It's because you're hanyou, you're sensitive to spices . . . guess it makes sense why you eat so much ramen. It's rather neutral."

"Keh, this was good. I can handle the heat," he finally said after finishing the second glass of milk.

Kagome shook the empty jug of milk. "Right, I believe you." She then smiled at him, letting him know that everything was really okay. It was okay that the milk was gone, that she wasn't at all offended by his reaction to her food and just everything else – hinting at the prospect of losing her chances at a child. She wasn't going to hold him responsible for that.

"Whatever wench. I might hold you yet to that ramen suggestion of Sango's."

"You can't do that."

"Watch me. I'll just go to the lawyer and have him write up a legally binding contract declaring payment to be received in fully prepared meals of ramen."

"That sounds so . . . odd. Well, I guess I could always prepare the meals with items such as Perigord truffles and Baluga caviar. Oh and Kobe beef . . . "

"Truffles? How much does that cost?"

Kagome slyly grinned at the unknowing hanyou. "Well, there are several kinds, but the average cost is around $100 to $150 US per ounce."

"Kagome, Perigord truffles, Baluga caviar . . . that's a bit extravagant for a bowl of ramen."

"But mama, ramen noodles are so cheap. They're practically free. I'd be cooking for him for life."

Inuyasha leaned over to her, perhaps a little too close. His deep, gravelly voice ticked her ear as he spoke, "Good." He then moved back into his chair, satisfied by his ability to silence her so he could finish the rest of his breakfast in quiet peace.

Kagome closed her eyes and tried to shake off the shiver that quaked through her chest, rumbling down her spin, hitting her pelvic area with a crushing thud. She buckled forward, gripping onto her chair for some support. One word. That was all it took and she crumbled into a soaking wet heap of overexcited hormones and desire. Not even Hojo could make her gush quite like this. Is this where the saying about needing a fresh pair of underwear came from?

"Inuyasha dear, would you like some extra steak? I believed I spared it from the salsas."

"Oh, sure. Thanks."

"Kagome, are you okay? You look flushed. Is the salsa getting to you as well?"

"Ah, no, I'm . . . fine. Really. Maybe too much running this morning." Kagome had a hunch that the doctor knew. That he had figured it out, figured _her_ out. He had to know that her body was attracted to him, yearned for a taste of his exotic and forbidden flavor.

What would he taste like? From the view of his muscular torso last night, he worked out. Working out meant sweat. She never had the pleasure of sampling the sweat of a male. Sweat was the carrier of pheromones, a bodily produced aphrodisiac, the body's sensual wine and any other metaphor she could toss at it. Hojo would never allow her permission to lick him, to taste him.

It was here, now that it dawned on Kagome. The clouds of her mind drifted away, evaporating from the horizon of her consciousness. She was finally admitting to herself that yes, she was sexually attracted to her doctor, that in him held the promise of her fantasies, the promise of raw, animalistic passion and pure sexual energy. With him, all of her bodily desires could be satisfied.

There was no passion in her and Hojo's relationship. There would never be all weekend sexual rendezvous. It was her naivety that kept her from seeing the truth. Hojo was her friend, companion, but not her lover. But Inuyasha was just carnal, and the truth be told, she did not love him. She loved Hojo and it would be on that premise alone that she would have to quench her desires for the hanyou and become the mother of a child with Hojo, the man she loved.

She would not let her body divorce itself from her heart's wishes. She would not let her unfilled desires lead her astray, down the street of temptation. Hojo was forever, Hojo was no more than an instrument in creating her and Hojo's family. He was a distraction that she could avoid, partially, and she would start by swearing off her private masturbation sessions in the bathroom. Ever since she laid her eyes on that piece of a hunk, he had been the man of her fantasies, no one else. Her body would cease to crave his touch if she stopped touching herself when she thought of him. Simple.

Once Mama Higurashi finished with her breakfast, she started in on the mess Kagome created. Kagome was always making messes like this and that brought joy to her heart. Ever since Kagome was an infant, she had spent time in the kitchen so Mama Higurashi could watch over her daughter as she prepared dinner for the family. Instead of Play-Doh or clay, Kagome pounded, kneaded, and rolled dough.

Inuyasha pushed the empty plate away from him, stuffed and satisfied with the meal. "Pretty good Kagome. Thought I was in a restaurant for a sec." Standing up, Inuyasha stretched his muscles out, catching Kagome looking not at him, but away. He frowned, but brushed it off. "Is it all right if I take a shower?"

"Yeah, bathroom's still upstairs," Kagome explained as she gathered the empty plates up to take over to her mother. "Do you need a change of clothes?"

"Nope, got some in my truck. I'll just run out and grab my bag."

Kagome gave him a quick smile before he left. She took the plates to the sink and decided to stay and help her mother out. They quickly fell into a routine of Mama Higurashi scrubbing the dishes and handing them to Kagome who took on the rinsing and drying duties, then she stacked them in the rack next to the sink.

"Inuyasha is such a nice man. He's got a healthy appetite, a good sense of humor . . . "

"He's just my doctor mama."

"Doesn't mean he can't be your friend."

"Says you."

"I do wish he would stop by again. He's so nice to talk to."

"I don't know if that'll be possible. He's kinda got his own life. His job, a g-girl, his friends, none of which are mine. Our lives only crossed because I-I have this problem of mine. And once it's resolved, I'll have no reason to really see him again."

"Kagome, that's not like you. I know you send birthday cards to your favorite teachers. Inuyasha doesn't have to be any different."

"It'll be weird. There's me and Hojo, then there's him and this really pretty girl of his. And I don't think Hojo is too fond of Dr. Takahashi. They didn't talk at the dinner and he's missed appointments."

"How is Hojo? I haven't seen or heard from him in, oh, I guess it would be a few months now, since your birthday party here."

"He's fine. He's been all about work lately."

Mama Higurashi left the plate floating in the sudsy water, turning to her daughter and wrapping her arms around the fragile girl. Kagome didn't know what to do. She definitely wasn't expecting her mother to do this. Come to think of it, why was her mother hugging her like something horrible had happened? Kagome lifted her hands up and held them up, unsure if she was to hug her mother back or not. Wouldn't that mean that there was something wrong, she was giving in, or up?

"Mama . . . "The soft word was the only word Kagome could say once the shock finally wore off. She hugged her mother back, tightly, but she didn't know why. Her read rested on her mother's shoulder. Kagome would not cry.

"I wish . . . I wish that I could take your hurt, pain and frustrations away from you." Mama Higurashi released Kagome from the hug. She studied her daughters face, marveling at her daughter's beauty. "I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy, despite the obvious blunders."

The older woman shook her head. "I mean really happy. It's been a long time since I've seen you truly happy Kagome. Whatever you decide to do with your life, I want you to know that as long as you're happy, you can't, _cannot_ disappoint me. I don't want you to ever feel that you've let me down. You're smart, beautiful, a talented cook, a good person and you do deserve to have the best life that the gods gave you to work with. Think of your talents, your strengths and weaknesses as the ingredients the gods provided for you. Only you can take those ingredients and create the best dish you can."

"Mama, where . . . where is all of this coming from?"

"My heart . . . and hopefully to yours." Cocking her head to the side, Mama Higurashi warmed Kagome with a smile that only she could give her daughter. Peeling herself away from Kagome, she seamlessly returned to her duty at the sink. Kagome blinked a couple of times before going back to helping her mother.

Inuyasha returned from his shower just as the women were finishing up with the cleaning of the kitchen. He was simply dressed in loose fitting blue jeans and a plain black t-shirt. His long silver longs were wet, but not dripping.

"How was your shower?" Mama Higurashi asked from her place at the sink.

"Fine. You might need to it fixed. The faucet was leaking pretty badly."

"Oh, that's right. I was meaning to call Mr. Abe and see if he could come over."

"I can fix it. Just need a wrench."

"Really? Oh, that's so sweet. I'll send Kagome up with it as soon as I'm done here."

"Sure." Inuyasha left the women a lone to head back up to the bathroom.

"Kagome, in the drawer over there, you'll find the tools." Kagome put down the towel she was using to dry the dishes and walked to said drawer. After opening it up, Kagome found a whole assortment of tools, digging through them until she found the large, red painted wrench. "Oh, good. Now take it upstairs to Inuyasha."

Standing up, she let out a sigh as she exited the kitchen, heading up the stairs, she found Inuyasha in the bathroom with his shirt off. His back was to her as he worked on unfastening the shower head. Nibbling on her lower lip, she shut her eyes tightly and tried to order the naked image of his torso out of her head. She promised herself.

"Here," she spoke out sharply, grabbing his attention and once again seeing his naked chest looking just like it did last night. She wanted to ask where his shirt had gone, but that would only unnecessary attention to a sight she shouldn't look at.

"Thanks."

"I'll be downstairs," the words rushed out as she turned to flee.

"What, you're not going to stay? It'll only take a few minutes."

Stopping, she turned and gave up on her escape. If she ignored him too much, he would catch on and then maybe confront her about it. Kagome leaned up against the wall. Inuyasha gave her a quick smile before turning back to the shower.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Keh, used to do odd jobs to pay for school," he replied as he stepped into the tub to work on the pipe.

"Oh." She crossed her arms and looked down at the floor, recalling the private conversation she had with herself at the breakfast table.

"What? No snide comment? Are you feeling okay?" Inuyasha stepped out of the tub and set the wrench down on the counter. Reaching for his shirt, he slipped the material back on, shaking his hair to loosen it from the t-shirt's hold.

"I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Come on, you can tell me."

"I can't."

"Why?"

She looked up at him. "Because you're just my doctor and I'm just your patient and in that there's . . . there's a boundary I won't cross."

"Where the fuck is all of this coming from? I just figured you were wigged out from the jog this morning."

_I have to say . . . this for myself._

"Look, I . . . I enjoyed talking to you last night and all, but . . . I don't think it's appropriate."

"So you can't be my friend?"

"No. I-I love Hojo and . . . "

"Yeah, yeah. I hear that a lot," he cut in, his eyes narrowing as he glanced down at the ground for the moment, playing with the hem of his shirt. "And are you so sure that he loves you back?" Kagome gasped at his remark, but Inuyasha continued. He lifted up both hands, holding up eight fingers, four digits on each, and stared directly into her wide eyes. "In all of my years working, this is the number of men that have missed the treatment appointment. Three were dead, two were seriously injured and in the hospital, another two were overseas for governmental reasons and . . . " He held up one finger in front of her face. "One. One guy who couldn't take twenty minutes out of his damn day. One guy who put work above a child."

Inuyasha dropped his hand, upset at himself for doing this to her. He really had no right to. "Look, I'm sorry that you're one of the few people I've met that has treated me normally. I'm sorry that I thought we could be friends or some shit like that. Apparently, _I_ was the one who was mistaken. I'm sorry that Homo doesn't trust you enough to be friends with a guy." Grabbing the wrench, he left Kagome alone knowing that he had overstayed his welcome at the Higurashi Shrine.

"Did you get it fixed?"

"Yeah," he replied, returning the wrench to Mama Higurashi. "I hate to do this, but I gotta jet. I . . . I've got some paperwork to take care of before tomorrow."

"Oh, okay dear. What about Kagome's injections?"

_Shit._

"She'll have to be back at the Izayoi clinic by two."

"Oh no. We still have some boxes to go through. I'm afraid that she might not make it in time." Mama Higurashi frowned briefly before a smile returned. "Kagome! Kagome!"

"Yes?"

"Inuyasha could you do me a favor and take Kagome home?"

"Mama . . . "

"I'll look through the rest of the boxes. This way you can be at the clinic for your injection at two. I'll call you if I find anything and I can make a trip to your place tomorrow to drop it off."

"I should be the one looking for it."

"Nope. Your injection is just as important. Am I right Inuyasha?"

"Yeah." He hated being put on the spot.

"There. It's settled. Go upstairs and pack your stuff and then Inuyasha can take you home."

Kagome, knowing she couldn't win against her mother, went back upstairs, defeated, to pack up her belongings. Everything was becoming more complicated; confusing and just . . . it was hard to deal with it all. She knew things; her relationship with Hojo would change with them wanting to have a child together, but like this?

Damn Inuyasha for making her have doubts that Hojo didn't love her as much as she loved him. He was so supportive of her, always wanting to take care of her, that she believed she couldn't love Hojo as much as he loved her. Why was this happening now?

Mama Higurashi wished the two a safe trip back into the city and waved them off as Inuyasha carried Kagome's bag down the stairs toward his truck. She thought about calling a taxi, but figured that there was a large enough strain between the two of them that she didn't want to make it worse. Kagome didn't talk once during the whole trip, the ultimatum she made to herself and Inuyasha's rant recycling through her head. It hurt. It made her brain pulse with a pain unlike those she would get before math exams.

After her injection, she took several aspirin and curled up in her bed back at her apartment. Whether or not Hojo made it home that weekend couldn't reach her.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome had just returned from getting her hormone injection. She had this week still for injections and then a couple of days next week. Then it was the egg extraction, a two day rest and then the egg implantation. That was the nitty-gritty layman's description of the process. It was coming up soon.

In the meantime, she had another matter to attend to. Today was Monday and as she remembered from Inuyasha's office on Friday, it was the day she could make sure that she didn't receive any more letters threatening her with treatment cancellations just because she wasn't married. In any circumstance, it could be considered discrimination.

Not really sure where to go, she went to Saori's desk since she could get a hold of Dr. Takahashi through her. Like always, Saori was behind her des carrying on with her secretarial duties.

"Hi Saori."

Saori glanced up and saw Kagome. Immediately she noticed the change in the woman since she last saw her on Friday. Saori was glad that _that_ woman hadn't shown up. "Hello Kagome, what can I do for you?"

"Is Dr. Takahashi available?"

"No, he's not. He's in surgery this afternoon assisting on a uterus reconstruction with Dr. Miroku. I'm afraid it'll be several hours before he's done."

"Oh. Uh, he didn't happen to leave anything for me, did he?"

"No, but then again, he sorta forgot about the surgery today until Dr. Miroku made some uterus joke."

"Okay. I guess I can try him later, maybe tomorrow." Kagome was about to leave, but she had come to the clinic determined to settle this matter once and for all. "I do have something that maybe you can help me with."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's notes:** Sorry this is a short chapter, but I felt it was best to stop here before I got into any of the more complicated stuff. As Kagome said, the egg extraction and egg implantation are coming up and I didn't want to chop that up. Plus, it just didn't go with this chapter.


	14. Chapter 14

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Fourteen Procedures**

Friday. Everything always seemed to happen on Fridays. It had been two weeks since the incident in Dr. Takahashi's office. An event not only spurred by the letter, but as Kagome learned at the meeting she had with Dr. Takahashi, Dr. Miroku and Sango the Friday before today, the hormones she was being injected with were responsible for any out of the ordinary mood swings. It did explain a lot. And that was what she was willing to believe. That all of her strange emotions and the thoughts that sprouted from the different feelings were all because she was being injected with hormones.

The meeting covered issues Kagome was already aware of since she had been through the IVF procedure several times prior and most of the information was more of a reminder of what to expect than learning anything new. First, they went over her hormone levels to let her know that everything was progressing normally and with that and the ultrasound pictures of her ovaries, they were able to predict a time for ovulation. The egg retrieval would happen a day or two before ovulation so that they didn't lose the eggs.

Like an Easter egg hunt.

Miroku brought up intercourse, even though he knew it was a moot point. Sex was possible before the procedure, but none at least three days prior in order for them to receive a healthy semen samples from Hojo. After the IVF procedure, no sex was allowed for at least a month so that it wouldn't interfere with the implantation of the fertilized egg. Kagome assured Miroku that she would easily be able to follow those guidelines. And secretly, the three doctors knew she could.

Both Miroku and Inuyasha tossed a bunch of statistics at her as well, twin rates, triplet rates, and chances of birth defects. Kagome watered up at the thought of having a child with extra problems after everything she was going through just to have a child. Sango had reassured her that it didn't mean her child would be affected, but they couldn't deny the possibility either. It happened, but their first step was to get her pregnant and keep her pregnant. Then after that, they would worry about the health of the fetus.

Kagome had attended the meeting without Hojo. It was her idea. He'd already been to the other meetings on the IVF procedure with their previous doctors. And it was easier for her to tell him that he didn't have to be there than not have him show up like last time. It was just like Hojo had said; they were to schedule a time for him to come in so they could retrieve a semen sample from him. No one dared questioned Hojo's absence and carried on as normal. Inuyasha did not want to have to watch her have some kind of emotional breakdown in front of him because with an audience, he might be too cruel.

Late Wednesday evening after that Friday appointment, Kagome received a call informing her that it was time for her _hCG_ injection, another hormone her body needed to sustain pregnancy. After the injection, Kagome returned home knowing that Thursday was going to be a day spent lying in bed reading cooking magazines. A side effect of the injection was some abdominal discomfort. She also took the time in bed to grade papers and work on her portfolio, which was almost completed.

Back to this Friday. Eight in the morning. And as she sat in the reception area, all she could think about was food. Not because she was a chef, well almost, but she wasn't allowed to eat until after the egg retrieval. Why couldn't they invent an anesthesia that actually required food? It would make the process more relaxing. And the empty belly made her seem much more nervous that she should be. She was an old pro at this procedure, but why the fluttering in her stomach?

Shiroi, the pale pink-tinted hair nurse she had from a previous appointment, escorted a sleepy and hungry Kagome into the bathroom where she was instructed to change into the clinic-provided gown and to empty her bladder. There was a metallic locker in the bathroom for her to safely store her purse and clothing until after she had recovered from the procedure.

In what Kagome could only call a pale green muumuu, Shiroi laughed at Kagome's disgust with the frumpy and drafty outfit. "Dr. Takahashi picked these out himself." Shiroi explained to Kagome about the origins of the outfit.

"Maybe I should recommend a stylist."

"Well, Dr. Miroku did recommend satin and lace baby dolls in the flattering colors of red, black and pink. White he saved for the wedding night."

Kagome chuckled at the thought of having to dress up in something Miroku picked out. "So, you're saying I should be grateful that Dr. Takahashi has no taste?"

"This isn't about style, _this_ is about protection. Remember, you'll be in there, given medication, no panties and Dr. Miroku with no Sango around."

Kagome could only shake her head. "I'll just have to be grateful that Dr. Takahashi is in there to make sure I make it out of that room without being taken advantage of."

"Absolutely. Though, I wouldn't be surprised if Sango made her presence known at some point during the procedure. You know, just to remind him to behave."

The two women continued to joke as they made their way to the procedure room. A pale minty green colored room with sterile white linoleum floors and ashy gray colored cabinets. Shiroi helped Kagome into the bed, covering her up with a soft, warm blanket the color of cotton and clouds. The door then opened and unknown doctor made his way in. Kagome looked over at Shiroi, frightened as to why a strange man was in her room.

"Kagome, this is Dr. Suikotsu, our local anesthesiologist. He's here to make sure that all of your questions regarding the anesthesia are answered and then we'll set up an IV that'll deliver the medication into your body. Okay?"

"Yeah," she replied, visually relaxed from the explanation.

"Hi Kagome. I've been informed that you've been put under before for the same type of procedure, so I won't have to ask about that. So, do you have any other questions?" His kind calm face calmed Kagome down more, as if he were the anesthesia itself.

"Not really."

"Great. You'll be out for no more than three hours." The anesthesiologist had Shiroi set up an IV on Kagome. Once the line was in, he inserted a needled and deposited the clear liquid into her line. "Just relax, taking in deep breaths. In a few minutes you'll start to get drowsy. Then you'll be asleep before you know it." He made a snap of his fingers to illustrate how fast the drugs worked.

Dr. Suikotsu left Shiroi and Kagome alone to wait for the medication to take effect. "Are you comfortable?"

"Yes. I am. Thanks."

The doors burst open announcing the arrival of Miroku, with Inuyasha right behind him. Both were in matching pale green scrubs with caps over their heads, covering their hair and had masks tied around their necks, but not tied over their mouths just yet.

"Good morning Kagome. Ready for the hunt?" Miroku sang out, waggling his eyebrows at Kagome, hoping to make her even more relaxed by being in their care. His jokes were not working.

Kagome glanced over at Shiroi. "On second thought . . . "Shiroi just chuckled as she went over to the preparation area to scrub down with Dr. Miroku and Dr. Takahashi. Kagome looked up at the ceiling, counting the tiny holes scattered randomly on each square tile. Soon, she was having trouble counting the holes as well as actually being able to see them clearly. She'd even lost track of her counting.

_Oh well_ . . .

"Kagome."

Kagome turned her head to look at the source of the voice. She smiled softly, her eyelids dropping close as they grew heavier from the medication.

"Everything will be fine. I'll make sure of it." Inuyasha had found her hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

Since the stay at the Shrine, he had been mentally kicking himself for saying those awful, hurtful things to her. He had no right to. But dammit, he just couldn't stand by while she suffered. He knew Hojo hadn't called at all during the weekend stay at the Shrine. It was wrong. Wrong for Hojo not to call, not to even try and it was wrong of Inuyasha to even pry.

He hadn't apologized for it either. He wasn't going to. There was no reason to, really. Inuyasha had kept his distance since dropping her off at home. And at the appointment last week, he had let Miroku take charge. The guy liked to talk too much anyway.

Whether or not she was mad at him for that, he didn't know. And her smile at this moment was most likely the result of the anesthesia. Still, he'd take any of her smiles despite how he received them.

"Close your eyes and have sweet dreams."

She did as instructed, her long thick eyelashes gently fluttering shut. The smile never left her face.

"Dream of me if you want, I don't mind." Miroku shouted from his place at the sink as he sunk his hands into the gloves Shiroi held open for him.

"Mmmm . . . "Kagome moaned out as the fog of drug-induced sleep quickly rolled. "Sweet dreams . . . white . . . fuzzy doggie ears . . . "Her head fell limp and to the side as the anesthesia took full effect and left a deeply sleeping Kagome to dream of the last words she spoke.

Inuyasha couldn't believe what his white, fuzzy dog ears actually heard. He just stared at her peaceful and even more beautiful sleeping form. What conclusion could he draw from that? Was it because his ears were the last thing she saw before succumbing to the anesthesia? He didn't want to delve any deeper into the matter for he'd only find damning hopes and curses; a cruel form of mental torture that he was getting really good at.

"Ready?" Miroku asked as he joined up with Inuyasha.

"Yeah."

Shiroi appeared behind them and tied up Inuyasha's mask followed by Miroku's. She rolled in a state-of-the-art ultrasound machine that would be used for the procedure. It was the newest version that the researchers at the _Izayoi Clinic_ introduced a few months ago. Debates about anesthesia use were still trembling and until they had government approval, they would use new technology with old methods.

Shiroi lifted the bottom of the blanket up and folded it over, up to Kagome's chest, then went to position Kagome's legs and feet into the stirrups. During this time, Inuyasha and Miroku tended to the ultrasound machine.

"Whachya doing later tonight?" Miroku asked as he made sure the collection tube was hooked up the suction pump and the sonographically-guided needle.

"It's still morning," Inuyasha replied as he fine tuned the image on the monitor. "Check the imagery." Inuyasha growled when an image he never wanted to see appeared on the monitor. "Miroku . . . "

"Sorry. Couldn't help it," he giggled as he pulled up his pants. "Oh, sorry Shiroi."

She rolled her eyes as she finished up with Kagome. "Nothing Sango hasn't already complained about. Dr. Takahashi, she's ready."

"Thanks." Inuyasha sat down on the stool which put him at the correct height.

"Will you be able to do this?" Miroku's voice was lowered so that Shiroi couldn't hear. Miroku was concerned about Inuyasha. He knew that Inuyasha had a strong attraction to Kagome, even if Inuyasha tried denying it.

"Give me the needle." Miroku handed Inuyasha the needled and stepped back to watch the monitor as well as the collection tube. He could do it. He had to. He promised her and he wasn't one to easily break promises. There was a little bit of self-control stored somewhere within him. Now he had to find it.

Taking the needle attached to the ultrasound probe, he carefully inserted it into her womb. Her body unconsciously responded to the intrusion and he took a deep breath to calm the raging youkai within him screaming at him to stop this forced intrusion at once.

"Okay, here's the uterine cervix." Miroku pointed out on the monitor. Inuyasha nodded as the ultrasound probe hit the fleshy wall. A button was pushed and the ultrasound probe activated, the electron filled beam penetrated the uterine cervix wall and sought out Kagome's overripe ovaries. "Okay, there is one. You've got a perfect angle."

"Right. Inserting needle into ovarian follicle." Inuyasha remained calm as he went through a process he had done a countless number of times. Only because of Kagome did it feel different. "Needle inserted."

"Turning on suction pump." The silent room hummed with the mechanical moaning of the tiny vacuum.

"Watch the level of the collection tube."

"Yes. Yes. It doesn't even take five minutes."

"Still . . . "What he failed to say was that this was Kagome. Everything had to be perfect. For her. Even if it wasn't going to be his child, he just wanted her to be happy.

"So, what do you plan on doing tonight." Inuyasha just shook his head. "What? You didn't give me an answer last time."

"I don't know. Fight traffic. Make it home. Work out. Shower. Eat some ramen. Catch something decent on TV."

"Ugh. That doesn't sound fun. I'm meeting up with Sango later. There's this dessert café called _The Aphrodisiac_ that I'm taking her to. I'm guaranteed to score." Miroku glanced over at a giggling Shiroi and ignored Inuyasha's scoff. "Oh, Shiroi, eh, right. Uh, please don't tell Sango about any of this. It's supposed to be a surprise."

"What's in it for me?"

"Well . . . "Miroku waggled his brows at her. Shiroi, with a blank face, just shook her head. "No? Well, how about a gift certificate to _Hands On_, the massage and spa parlor downtown?"

"All day? The works?"

"It can be."

"Deal."

"Nice. You'll have it in your box on Monday." Miroku checked the level of the collection tube. "Okay. Turning off suction pump." Miroku switched off the machine.

"Retracting the needle."

Miroku pulled off the collection tube, snapped a sterile plastic lid close on the test tube and handed it to Shiroi. She placed a sticker around it and placed it in a tube rack. Miroku slipped on another test tube to collect the follicular liquid.

"All right. Second tube in place."

Inuyasha shifted the probe around so that it faced toward the opposite ovary. He watched the monitor carefully until the ultrasound probe was aligned with the uterine wall and ovary.

"Inserting needle into second follicle." Inuyasha retracted the needled up until the total length was extended. "Needle inserted."

"Rightie. Turning on suction pump." Again, the machine hummed on and started to suck out the fluid from Kagome's ovary and into the collection tube. "Inuyasha, I have a movie for you to watch."

"No."

"But . . . twins. Angry, sexy twins with handcuffs and nightsticks."

"No."

"Not into twins? I have others. Ninja chicks, pirate chicks fighting for the bounded babe. Pirate vs. Ninja lesbians. Guess who wins?"

"I said _no_. Now watch the damn collection tube."

"Inuyasha . . . "Miroku started, concern sewn into his voice, but he stopped. He couldn't talk to Inuyasha about his problems with an audience. He shook his head. "Nevermind."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes at the gynecologist, but dropped it as he was still doing a rather delicate procedure. He could still get back at the man later on. A quick call to Sango would do the trick. They waited in silence as the collection tube steadily filled up.

"Turning off suction pump." Miroku switched off the pump and repeated his actions of sealing the tube and handing it to Shiroi.

Shiroi placed the second tube next to the first in the tube rack. "I'll take these to the embryologist in the lab right away." Shiroi disappeared.

"Extracting needle and . . . removing ultrasound probe." Inuyasha pulled out the ultrasound probe and handed it to Miroku. Miroku took care of the ultrasound machine, wheeling it into the corner where one of the nurses would clean and sterilize it for the next patient.

Inuyasha glanced down at the dozing Kagome. He'd heard her grumbling in her sleep and was pretty sure he was the only one who could hear it. Reaching up, he gently lifted one leg out of the stirrup, placing it down on the bed, and then the other. He pulled her gown down to give her some decency.

Miroku pulled his mask down. "I'm going to the café for breakfast, want to accompany me?"

"Maybe. I've gotta get her drug therapy started first."

"Right. I'll wait. Give me a call." Miroku exited the procedure room, the sound of snapping latex following right behind him.

Inuyasha pulled down his mask, but kept his gloves on. He pulled down her blanket and made sure both her feet were securely tucked in. Seeing her asleep like this, he decided he really like it. Not only did she look calm and beautiful, but whatever she was dreaming about made her happy.

Gently, he brushed her bangs away, hoping to get a good look at her face and was surprised that she turned her head into his latex covered hand. Again, he didn't want to stoke his hopes up.

Shiroi reentered the room. Inuyasha pulled his hand back and turned to face the nurse. She picked up Kagome's chart and clicked a pen ready for use already anticipating her duty.

"The usual. Prescribe tetracycline, four times a day for seven days. Orally, not the liquid shit. I'll make sure she understands how it should be taken. Medrol, oral, two times for seven days. Then she'll need progesterone, most likely the injection, once a day for a week."

Shiroi jotted down everything Inuyasha had said. "Anything else?"

"Not right now. I'll talk to her when she wakes up. Just get the prescription ready so I can explain them to her. We'll have to schedule progesterone injections. Actually, just make it for the same time as the ovulation ones."

"Sure thing Dr. Takahashi. I'll give you a buzz when she wakes up."

"Right." He ripped off his latex gloves as he left Kagome to sleep off the rest of the anesthesia. Breakfast did sound like a good idea. He didn't have time to eat this morning before the procedure. But did he really want to eat with Miroku?

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome's eyes flapped open as light entered her orbs and her own consciousness filled her brain. And as soon as she was fully aware, she wished to go back into that drug induced sleep. Even though she felt drowsy, she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. Not with the abdominal pains she was experiencing.

_Where's that damn nurse at?_

"You're awake," Shiroi greeted a cranky Kagome. She checked Kagome's IV and was satisfied with it. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been kicked in the gut by a horse," her voice cracked. Even her throat hurt.

"Here, have an aspirin." Shiroi helped Kagome to sit up. Kagome tossed the two white pills into her mouth and swallowed them with a gulp of water. Shiroi then helped her back down onto the bed, fixing the blankets. "It'll take about 24 hours for the anesthesia to wear off, so you might feel a bit hung over."

"Good thing tomorrow's Saturday."

"Dr. Takahashi should be in after his appointment to explain to you the medications that will be prescribed. Also, I do need to warn you that you may feel nauseated if you eat, so watch that. Also, stay clear of spicy or strong foods for a day." Kagome just nodded along. She'd heard this before. "One more thing, you may experience some vaginal bleeding. It's very light if it even occurs at all. However, anything heavy and come in right away."

"Sure."

"If you're hungry, I can get you something from the cafeteria."

Kagome shook her head with a scrunched up look of disgust. "No thanks. I've been properly warned. I'll just wait."

"No need."

Shiroi turned and Kagome moved her head to see Inuyasha walking in still dressed in scrubs, but with his white lab coat on. He held up a paper bag and a paper cup. He set the items down on the table next to Kagome's bed.

"The medication is all there Dr. Takahashi. Bye-bye Kagome."

Kagome waved as Shiroi left the room. Once the nurse was gone, she eyed the bag and the cup suspiciously. "What's that?"

"Food. For you," Inuyasha said as he checked the prescription bottles to make sure his instructions were clearly and correctly printed out on each bottle.

"For me?" Kagome pressed the button that raised the back of her bed up so she was in a more comfortable sitting position. Reaching over, she picked up the bag, opened it up and peeked inside. She pulled out a wrapped item. Tearing the paper away, she had in her hand a ham, egg and cheese bagel sandwich.

"Every . . . "Inuyasha began as he turned towards Kagome. He stopped when he caught her scarfing down the food. "Good thing there's two."

"Sorry," she said, the word muffled from the amount of food in her mouth.

"Keh, its fine." He pulled over the chair and sat down, placing two translucent orange bottles on the table. Since she was busy eating, he decided to use that time to describe the meds to her. "This one is tetracycline, an antibiotic. Take it about an hour after you're done eating. Only take it on an empty stomach. It's four times a day for one week. Make sure you finish off the entire bottle."

Kagome nodded as she pushed the last bit of the first bagel sandwich into her mouth while reaching into the bag with her other hand fishing around for the second one. Shiroi's warning about eating while under the anesthesia was already forgotten.

"This is Medrol, a steroid hormone. Has a few dozen uses, but in your case, it assists with pre-embryo implantation. Twice a day for a week. You can take it with or without food."

Kagome nodded again as she chewed on her breakfast. She was listening to everything he was saying. She knew how important it was.

"Lastly, we need you to come in for progesterone injections. It helps to thicken the lining of the uterus which is essential for pre-embryo implantation. Also, because of the FSH injections, this will make sure you establish a normal hormone ratio. Two o'clock daily still work?"

_nodnod_

"During your nap, the embryologist did his thing. He found some healthy, mature eggs and fertilized them. Right now, they are in a dish in a nutrient environment that somewhat resembles your own body. We'll keep them for a few days to allow them to divide. So, Monday or Tuesday, you'll be back in for the embryo transfer."

Kagome swallowed the last piece of the second bagel sandwich down. "Sounds good." She found that there was tea in the cup. Drinking some of the warm liquid, the last remnants of breakfast was washed down. "Thank you." She reached out for the bottles and Inuyasha handed her the Medrol which she could take now.

"Since the anesthesia is still in your system, Dr. Suikotsu would like me to tell you to take it easy. No operating a car, heavy machinery or power tools. No alcohol and do not make any important decisions. He just wants you to relax."

"So, if Hojo were to ask me to marry him, I'd have to say no?" she said as a joke.

"Basically." Inuyasha didn't see it that way.

Kagome laughed. "Guess that's settled." She sighed as the quiet enveloped the two. "Dr. Takahashi . . . ?"

"Mmmm . . . "

"I-I . . . I want to apologize about what happened at the Shrine. I never meant to say that I didn't want you as a friend." Kagome turned to look at the drape-covered window, avoiding the look she knew he had on his face. "I can't even believe I said something so mean. I was being honest when I said I enjoyed our conversation. I did a lot. I guess I thought I was somehow betraying Hojo, but . . . I believe that it's okay for me to have friends that are male. I mean, Hojo has female friends. My taken female friends have male friends as well. I should be able to have them if I want to." Kagome turned to look right at Inuyasha. "And I do."

Inuyasha gulped at her look. She was determined to be his friend. It touched him in a way he didn't realize was possible. Her looked showed him loyalty . . . to him . . . for him . . . That's what it looked like, and it's what he felt. She must have known that he shared with her a part of him he never shared with anybody. Miroku and Sango knew bits and pieces, but it barely was enough to shed any light on his past.

"It's okay Kagome."

"No, it's not . . . I'm sure that it hurt . . . to hear those things. I didn't want to hurt you. I hope . . . I hope that we still can be friends."

"Keh. Sure. But you owe me some ramen."

"Ramen? What? Wait. What for?"

"Breakfast."

Kagome realized she hadn't asked about where her breakfast came from, or who paid for it, instead, she just ate it all. She smiled when she knew. "Okay. How about a late lunch? I don't think you'd let me take the bus after the procedure and I still need a ride home."

"You cooking it?"

"Of course. Unless you wanted to go to a restaurant? I know of this soup shop . . . "

"No. You'll cook. Consider it a down payment."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Inuyasha hung out in the kitchen with Kagome as she worked on their ramen lunch. She confessed that she had planned to make him a huge pot of it as her apology earlier in the week, but she got busy with school work. The dough had been made Wednesday as she pulled it out of the fridge and ran it through the pasta machine. He'd never actually seen ramen being made before. For him, the ramen process just included hot water.

In a large stainless steel pot, she poured in the broth and waited for it to boil. In the meantime, she sliced up pieces of pork, mushrooms and green onions. As the soup came to a boil, she dumped the noodles in, also adding the pieces of the pork. The ingredients were all stirred up, swirling around the pot as the pork whitened and the noodles softened in the heated whirlpool.

"You always make it with pork?" He asked to get a conversation started.

"Not always. I . . . well, you approved of the pork last time, so I decided to just stick with that. I didn't want to make anything too exotic."

"The first stuff was chicken."

"Yeah, I had leftover chicken broth from an assignment." Kagome added the mushrooms and then turned off the burner. She mixed the ingredients around a few more times to really mix in the mushrooms. Walking to one of the cabinets, she opened it and pulled down two large soup bowls. Carefully, she filled them up, making sure to fill Inuyasha's with more substance than broth. The green onions were sprinkled on top as garnish.

Inuyasha carried the bowls out to the balcony. It was such a nice day out. Kagome suggested that they bask in the sun while they shared lunch. Kagome carried two glasses of iced lemonade with bits and pieces of freshly crushed cranberries and strawberries mixed in.

Quieted _itadakimasu_ were whispered and the two started in on their lunch. It was Inuyasha that started the newest conversation. "I didn't get to thank you or your mom for the stay at the Shrine."

"Don't worry about it. You fixed the leaky shower. For her, that was enough."

"Your mom's really nice."

"She's an everybody's mom. Always has been." A smile formed on her lips as she thought about her mother. "I can only hope to be half as good of a mother as her."

"Why do you say that?"

"She's just so . . . perfect. She's loving, caring, attentive to everyone's needs, even if they don't know what their needs are, she does like she has this mental-mom-ESP gift. When she punished us for our bad behavior, she would follow it up with a hug and a smile, letting us know that it was going to be okay. She's a natural. I-I just don't know if I can be like that."

"Keh. Good people make good parents. You'll do just fine."

"Eh?"

"You're a good person."

"But . . . "

"I didn't say you were perfect. You'll make mistakes. Your mother will admit to mistakes as well." Inuyasha stopped when he saw Kagome's dreamy look on her face, her eyes sparkling . . . "What?" he snapped.

"That . . . that was just about the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." Kagome stuck her chopsticks into the ramen and picked up some noodles. "My friends tell me not to worry so much about it. But how can I not?"

"You'll always have your mother to help you out."

"Oh, don't I know it. She's already pulling out the crib and polishing it up. As well as the rocking chair. I think she's more prepared than I am."

"Grandmothers."

"Totally. However, I will not rule her out. She'll be a tremendous source of help and support. I know that much. I can depend her."

"What about Hojo's family? Or . . . are they . . . ?"

"No, they are alive." Kagome carefully set her chopsticks down on the table, parallel to the table's edge. "They . . . I'm not really sure how to describe them. They are nice, but very, _very_ proper. I think they feel that since Hojo is a man, he needs to be responsible for his life, like the man they raised him to be. That he shouldn't need help. They still exchange gifts, but they aren't the type to come over for a visit. Nor do we go to visit them. I think it's why Hojo doesn't come with me when I go to visit my mother."

"That sucks. I like the Shrine. It doesn't feel like you're in the city when you're there."

"I know. It's kinda weird, but it's a nice place to go and get away from it all, to relax." Kagome stirred around her noodles as her thoughts focused on the here and now. Even though she thought that maybe she was sexually attracted to the hanyou, but despite that, yes, they could be friends. How she felt in his company and the conversation was comfortable and enjoyable. "You're free to go and visit whenever. I think my mom gets lonely now that . . . now that she has no one to take care of. Even though Souta and I were convinced that my grandfather was senile, mama always defended him . . . "

"You're not having this pup for her, are you?"

"No . . . well, maybe both. I want a child for me, for Hojo, for us. I want a child because . . . I want my mother to be a grandmother. Also, I want a child because . . . "

"Kagome?!"

"Oh, uh, out here!" Kagome yelled to the familiar voice. She smiled when Hojo walked outside to join her and Inuyasha out on the balcony.

"Hey Kagome . . . oh, uh Dr. Takahashi, what a surprise."

"You're home early. Sit down. Dr. Takahashi was kind enough to offer me a ride home after the procedure, so I cooked him lunch."

"You could've called me."

"I didn't want to interrupt you. You've been working so hard lately."

"How did it go?"

Kagome deferred the question to Inuyasha. "Oh, fine. The ovarian follicles were ripe with eggs. The embryologist had no problem finding them. He inseminated them with your sperm and we're letting them develop for a few days before we implant them. It's looking like that'll happen on Tuesday."

"Do I need to be there? Can I?"

"No need to be there. Again, we recommend that someone drive her home afterwards."

"That's good then."

"Thanks for lunch Kagome, but I've got to head back to the clinic for my late afternoon appointments."

"Here, let me walk you out." Kagome leaned down to Hojo and whispered, "I'll be right back." She then trotted off after the hanyou.

Hojo watched as they disappeared into the kitchen only to reemerge a minute later, a container of sorts in the doctor's hands. They exchanged unknown words, Kagome smiling the whole time and then the hanyou left. She returned to the balcony and sat down in her seat.

"Everything okay at work?"

"Actually, it's great."

"Really? Can you . . . eh-er, that's nice."

"What were you going to ask?"

"I was going to ask you about it, but you can't discuss work. So, as long as things are going great then I'm happy for you."

"Actually, I can tell you this. Our proposal got approved. We're going to live species trial in a few weeks time."

"Congratulations. That's good to hear. Are you excited?"

"Yeah. I am. It's been a long journey, even though it's not over with yet."

"Well, at least you'll get a bit of a break to freshen up for the trials."

"Speaking of break . . . I know I've been . . . neglecting you these past months. I am so deeply sorry for it too. I feel that I've dumped this whole baby issue on your lap. I should've been the one to drive you home and not that Dr. Takahashi. I am really sorry."

"I've been okay. I have missed you yet, I have a really good group of friends, and the people at the clinic are really great. And my mom . . . you know how she is."

"That's not the point Kagome. This child is mine and yours, not your mom's, not your friends' and not those people at the clinic. I have a duty to be with you."

"I know. I know. But you also have a duty to you as well. I am not your only responsibility. It's just about finding a balance. And we'll find it. Don't worry."

"You look tired."

"Yeah, I was put under for the procedure and I'll be out of commission for the next two weeks. School will be over with by then and graduation, summer school and then I'll be home with odd cravings and swollen ankles."

"Then I better get to practicing. I'll handle dinner tonight, how's that? Kikyou suggested a movie that I might enjoy and let me borrow it. So, it's dinner and a movie."

"Oh, uh, okay, sounds great. I can't wait."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Shiroi approached the couple in the waiting area with two different sized cups in her hands, one plastic, small and clear, another, taller, paper and filled with sloshing liquid. She bent down so that she was at somewhat of an eyelevel to the patients.

"Here. You need to take this." Shiroi handed Kagome the small plastic cup.

Kagome peered down at the cup in her hand, taking note of the single pill contained inside. "What is it?"

"A mild tranquilizer. It's 10 mg of valium. It's to help you and your muscles relax."

It had been a while since she'd done an embryo transfer and couldn't remember if she'd been given a tranquilizer before or not. Shiroi gave her a cup of water and encouraged her to finish it all. Kagome did remember that her bladder had to be full for the transfer.

"Okay. In a half-hour, I'll be back to get you so we give the valium time to relax you. Just take it easy and if you need anything, Saori will help you." Shiroi stood up and disappeared around the corner.

"Thanks." Kagome help the empty water cup in her hands as she silently waited for the drug to take its effect. For the past couple of days, she felt like a medicine cabinet. Drugs she had to take all throughout the day, a trip to the clinic for injections and now this. She hoped she didn't grow addicted to anything after this was all done, though she didn't think she would ever get addicted to injections. Needles were not fun.

It was Tuesday. Hojo had taken the morning away from anything having to do with work to be at Kagome's side. Saori had called Monday saying that Dr. Takahashi and the embryologist decided to wait until Tuesday so that the eggs would be in the blastocyst stage. Saori didn't exactly explain what a blastocyst stage was, but she did explain that it was a stage of the developing egg that increases implantation success and decreases her chances of having multiple births. It was an explanation Kagome could understand and felt comfortable with. She liked hearing about success rates. It gave her hope.

Saori approached Kagome. "Could you hold out your left wrist?" Kagome lifted her left hand up to Saori. Saori wrapped around a soft plastic hospital ID bracelet and secured it in place. "This is to make sure you get the right eggs. Don't want you incubating the wrong baby."

"Does that happen often?"

"No, it doesn't. It's rare. It's happened at some of the other clinics, but not here. Let's hope we can keep that record clean. Thought it may give those lazy lawyers something to do. Do you need more water?"

"Uh, I better." Kagome handed Saori her cup. Bringing her wrist up to eye level, she inspected the information on her bracelet. Her name, birth date and the days' date were clear to her. The other series of numbers and letters meant nothing to her other than it had to be some medical code for her eggs.

"Nervous?"

"Uh, oh . . . no, not really." Saori dropped off a filled cup of water and then returned to her daily secretarial duties. Kagome sat in silence with Hojo, sipping on her water and feeling more relaxed as time went by.

"Kagome, ready?" Shiroi asked as she came to fetch the girl.

"Yeah."

"I'll be waiting," Hojo said as Kagome stood up, giving her one of his perfectly symmetrical smiles.

"It'll be about an hour, an hour and a half," Shiroi explained to Hojo so he'd know how long he'd be waiting.

"You don't have to wait here," Kagome suggested.

"I might head down to the bookstore then. Give me a call."

"Okay."

"Good luck."

Kagome was lead down the hallway and into the bathroom and was ordered to change into the same type of gown as before. She was escorted by Shiroi into a similar procedure room. It could have been the same one. Kagome couldn't tell. They probably all looked alike for practical purposes. Kagome was allowed to keep her socks on. For some reason, it made her feel less exposed.

"Okay, hop onto the table and just lay down. Dr. Takahashi will be here in a little bit."

"Is Dr. Miroku going to be assisting?"

"Nope. It's just me and doggie ears today. I think Dr. Miroku had a delivery today."

"Did you get your gift certificate?"

"No, but thanks for reminding me. I'm not going let him use a birth as an excuse."

"Oh, but he will."

The women shared in a laugh as Inuyasha walked in. "Oi, what's so funny?"

"Nothing," the women sang out sweetly, ending with another giggle, Kagome's giggles louder than Shiroi's.

Inuyasha just shook his head. "Keh. We ready then?"

"Almost," Shiroi said. She walked over to the examination table and placed Kagome's feet into the stirrups. Shiroi adjusted Kagome's gown and finally declared her situated.

Inuyasha slipped on a pair of youkai-compatible latex gloves while Shiroi pulled out the ultrasound machine that was going to be used to monitor the embryo transfer. Grabbing a small plastic tube, Inuyasha squirted the thick gooey, clear substance onto his gloves and mixed it around on his hands.

"Okay Kagome, I'll uh, I'll just tell you what I'm doing as I do it. This'll take no more than ten minutes as long as everything goes smoothly."

"What could go wrong?"

"Some women have a retroverted cervix, which you don't. Uh, also, your embryos are floating around in that tube. It's possible for them to get stuck in the tube, meaning we'd just have to redo this part."

"Oh, so nothing too bad?"

"Nah." Inuyasha plopped down onto the wheeled chair and strolled himself over to where Shiroi had set up the table with all of the instruments he would need for the procedure.

He took deep calming breath as he was once again faced with temptation. Shiroi turned on a lamp, putting said temptation under a bright spotlight. Ten minutes. He could maintain control for ten minutes.

"I'm gonna lube you up so I can put in the speculum. Then your cervix will be cleaned with a saline solution. So you might feel a little discomfort."

"Okie dokie," Kagome blurted out, a slight slur to her words.

"Kagome?"

"Oh yessss doctor?"

"Nevermind." Those 10mg of valium might have been too much for the tiny girl. Once her cervix was cleaned, Shiroi applied some jelly to Kagome's lower abdomen and guided the transducer probe so that her uterus was displayed on the monitor.

Keeping his golden eyes focused on the monitor, he gently inserted the catheter until the open end was no more than half a centimeter from the back of the uterine wall. He had to be careful to make sure that it squirted the fluid out near the cervix opening. Any other place and it only meant failure.

Kagome lied there with her eyes closed as Dr. McHunky Hanyou went about his business. She felt really _really_ relaxed . . . and good too. Something about this had her stomach fluttering. His hands _there_, this position she was in. No doubt about it, she was kinda turned on. From what she'd seen in movies, a woman on her back with her legs spread wide open up in the air was a typical sex position. Maybe even Eri had said something about how it was one of those positions that allowed a woman to be angled just right for ultimate pleasure.

Her mind was starting to work against her, or was this for her? Instead of Dr. Takahashi down there, it was the Inuyasha she saw back at the Shrine, the one with no shirt, jeans slung loose along his narrow waistline and his silver hair flowing free and wild down the long length of his bronzed back. The parts of her that Dr. Takahashi, no _that _Inuyasha were touching started to warm and tingle in a good way.

Inuyasha stopped. His nose twitched from the assault of Kagome's perfumed attack. Her arousal hit him head on, making his ears ring and his eyes glazed over with lust. Shaking his head and rapidly blinking his eyes to regain even the tiniest bit of concentration, he only had to deposit the liquid containing the embryos into her uterus and then . . . then . . .

_Sweet motherfucker . . . _

Closing his eyes and trying to close off his other senses, he slowly squirted the liquid into her . . . _not helping_ . . . Once the liquid had been drained, he carefully pulled the catheter out.

"Shiroi, microscope," he strained to speak. Only words, not sentences were available for his use. The tiny room filled with the scent of Kagome and no longer the sterilized chemical smells, just a very horny Kagome.

Shiroi brought over the microscope and he inspected the catheter tube for any left behind embryos. Nope. Nothing. Shiroi wheeled the microscope away and started to clean up.

Inuyasha turned back to Kagome, staring at her slick core. _That_ wasn't lube. He knew the difference. Taking a deep breath would do him no good in here. Reaching over, he slowly pulled out the speculum, not wanting to cause her too much discomfort and tossed it onto the table.

There he was done. Now he could go. He needed to escape.

"That tickled . . . "Kagome softly giggled out, her pleasant voice tickling his already sensitive ears.

"I don't think she ate breakfast," was the explanation Shiroi offered as an excuse for Kagome's behavior. Shiroi took Kagome's feet and legs out of the stirrups and stretched her legs out onto the bed. A blanket covered her up as she lied there until she was given the okay to leave.

"Get her some damn food." And then he left.

He bolted straight for his office, locking the door behind him. Closing his eyes, he leaned up against the thick wooden door, his head thumbing back against it. _Kagome . . . _ Her hormones or his? Probably both were driving him over the edge. And what happened with her in there? She was so fuckin' hot for someone, maybe anyone. She wasn't getting any as it was, but damn, talk about Tempting, with a giant capital T. If Shiroi wasn't in the room, he could've taken Kagome anyway she wished. All she had to do was ask.

She wasn't making this friendship-thing easy for him. He didn't want to be just friends. He wanted to do very non-friendship things with her involved naked bodies, sweat and grunts for starters followed only by his and hers imagination, wants and needs. Why did this one girl, the one he desperately wanted, be the one girl he couldn't have? Fuckin' hanyou curse.

He ripped his latex gloves off of his hands as they were covered in her, her smell, her wetness . . .

He didn't deserve someone like her. Though she really didn't deserve what she had with Hojo. Hojo was one lucky son of a gun to have such a devoted woman. Inuyasha wasn't sure what he deserved. So far, life had only given him a successful career and an obsession for ramen, along with a rude behavior and a foul mouth.

Still, through all of the negativity, he wanted her, and if he hung around her enough, he might even need her. He dreaded that thought though, but at the same time, was enticed by the idea of having a companion, a true mate.

All of this thinking was calming him down, but, it served to remind him that he was still alone. Hojo would take Kagome home and all he had to look forward to was an empty, lifeless apartment.

_This is fuckin' pathetic. I don't sulk like this._

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome sat up when Shiroi returned with a tray of food. "Cafeteria food?" Kagome asked frightened by that prospect.

"No. Dr. Takahashi had mentioned that you really liked the breakfast bagel sandwiches from the shop across the street."

"You didn't have to . . . "

"Oh yes we did. The valium made you kinda loopy."

"Thanks."

"Did you use the restroom?"

"Yes. I couldn't hold it anymore."

"Nope, it's okay. You'll be able to dress and go home soon. You'll continue to come in for your progesterone shots. Also, remember to finish off the medications we've prescribed for you."

"Am I getting any other medications?"

"No. Just what you've got now. Here is a brochure that outlines what you can and can't do for the next two weeks."

Kagome skimmed through the brochure. "Wow, good thing break starts soon. Wait, no _tub baths_, so can I shower?"

"Yeah. Showering is fine. Do read about the spotting. Light spotting is normal. Heavy spotting means you should give us a call. Better yet, just come here immediately."

"Was I really that out of it?"

"Not really. It's just with no food in your system; the affects of the valium are amplified. You were just _really_ relaxed."

"I said something embarrassing, didn't I?"

"Not as embarrassing as what some of the other patients have said. It's fine. Finish breakfast, dress and then you can go."

"Thanks."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome walked slowly down the hallway, a hand on her lower abdomen hoping that the embryos recently inserted had already implanted themselves to her womb. It would be two and a half weeks, after that time, she would come back and be tested to confirm her pregnancy. It would be a long two and a half weeks. However, she had finals this week meaning papers to grade and a portfolio to turn in.

And then graduation.

She could be a certified chef, able to work in a restaurant, or in any other culinary institution. But for all of her work, her talents would stay in the home, meant for her, Hojo, some friends, family and perhaps a newborn child.

Kagome was planning a graduation party. She saw it not only the end of six years of schooling, but as one last time she could entertain. She already had everything planned for it. First was to send out the invitations.

"Ho . . . jo . . . "her voice trailed off as she entered the reception area only to find it full of just women. Kagome walked over to Saori's desk. "You wouldn't happen to know where Hojo went, would you?"

"Oh, actually yes. He said that he got a call about the review of his proposal and had to go talk to the proposal committee."

"Did he happen to mention how long this would take?"

"No, he didn't. Sorry."

"Thanks anyway." Kagome pulled out her cell phone. If she hurried, she could catch the next bus.

Little did she know that a certain doctor with exceptional hearing had caught what Saori had said to Kagome. His shoulders slumped forward. He had planned to talk to the couple about the procedure only to learn Hojo was gone, again, and that Kagome was once again left alone. But there was a ray of sunshine, as he was presented with an opportunity to offer her a ride home.

His nose caught the scent of someone in his office, someone who demanded his immediate attention. There went his moment to rescue Kagome.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"How the fuck did you slip into my office?"

The woman chuckled out from her place in the soft leather chair behind the wooden desk. "Oh Inuyasha. I thought you knew me better than that."

Inuyasha scowled at her grossly misguided innuendo. He remained by the door, making sure to maximize the space between him and her. Crossing his arms across his chest, again, he leaned back against the door, though for a different reason.

He did know how she got into his office. Later, he'd tell Saori to have maintenance put locks on his window. "What is it now?"

"I've given you some time to think about the situation."

"And I didn't think about it at all. I've been busy."

"That's not like you. You're usually willing to help women fulfill their dreams of motherhood. Why not mine?"

"You know why."

"Bah, that's not a reason, just a minor, what do you call it, technicality."

"And I've got technicality ball busters that work here. But, that's beside the point. I said _no_ already. I don't even know why you keep trying."

"Because I want this child!" she screamed at him, jumping out of the leather chair, her tears flung from her eyes. "I . . . I really want . . . "She looked up at Inuyasha. "Why?"

"You shouldn't even be asking me that. You know damn well. It's time for you to leave and not come back."

Kagura chuckled through the last remaining tears. "This is really it then, isn't it? There was love there, wasn't there?"

Inuyasha just shrugged his shoulders. "I really don't know."

"So, maybe this _is_ goodbye. Perhaps I couldn't do it, say goodbye to it all. The dream . . . the reality . . . they weren't the same."

"Use the door."

"Right. Goodbye then Inuyasha. I should be sorry that I bothered you. That girl, she's cute by the way. You two looked happy."

Inuyasha moved out of the way of the door, mouth open as Kagura left. She thought that he was with Kagome? He only wished that were true. Like Kagura, there was the dream, and then there was the reality and in both cases, they didn't match up one bit.

Closing the door behind him, he walked back over to his desk, sitting in the once occupied seat. Reaching for his phone, he dialed a number he didn't dial often. It was more like a number he chose to ignore as much as he could.

A nasally old voice answered.

"Let me talk to him now."

The voice just _hmphed_ and transferred the call.

"What?"

"You fuckin' owe me big time."

"About what?"

"Kagura."

"I see."

"You . . . see? Fuck. Do you know what I had to put up with?"

"It's your own fault."

"Fuck you!" He slammed down the phone.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**


	15. Chapter 15

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Fifteen Prospectus**

Kagome sat in the tiny waiting area, she being one of the few lucky ones to actually get a chair. The office area only had four chairs and a lineup of twenty students. Her capstone portfolio, as well as everyone else's, were due Wednesday at noon. That gave the graduation panel a few hours Wednesday and all day Thursday to review each and every single one of them.

All students were called in on Friday to be told whether or not they had satisfied all of the requirements for the program, meaning they were able to graduate on time or they would have to wait a quarter or two until they proved their worth.

At first, Kagome thought that they were calling in students by order of family name, but when hers got passed up, she could only sit and watch the others enter and exit the conference room with either a smile or a scowl on their face. Her stomach was all knotted up as it come down to the last remaining students.

"Higurashi."

Kagome stood up, the last student left in the reception area. She took a deep breath as she walked down the short hallway, turning into the conference room. The room had a long table against the back wall where the five members of the graduation panel sat. In the middle of the room was a lone chair, the one she was instructed to sit in.

She felt like a prisoner up for parole, waiting to be approved or rejected. Rejection was not an option she had considered, ever. It would seriously mess up her plans if that were the case. No, she couldn't think like that. Everything was fine.

"Higurashi," one of the female panel members started, "you are a teacher here as well as a student, correct?"

"I am. That's correct." The words scratched her dry throat as she struggled to speak them. As a teacher, they were her peers, but as a student, what she was now as she sat in that chair, they were terrifying.

"How long will you remain here as a teacher?"

"I'm contracted to work through the summer semester."

"And your plans afterwards?"

"I am working on a family. I've been . . . struggling, but I've found the best doctor with whom I have put my faith in that I'll be successful."

The panel glanced down at Kagome's portfolio, each having their own personal copy. Quietly, they passed notes and whispers that Kagome was forced to silently watch. There wasn't much for her to do at this moment except to accept it and wait. She would be given a chance to argue her case. At least she thought she would.

The woman calmly folded her hands over Kagome's portfolio. "We have a, what would you call it, a type of disagreement, ah, a dissidence over your portfolio."

"Oh," was all Kagome could get out.

"Will you listen to our problem before addressing it?"

"Of course," she perked up. She was ready to defend her work.

"This may take a while, which was the reason why we called you in last. You have no plans, right?"

Kagome sighed. Actually, she did have plans. It was nearing five o'clock and she and Hojo had dinner plans. It had been a while since they had gone out to a nice restaurant to eat, and with Hojo having a break from work, they decided to jump on the opportunity before it was gone again.

However, she was still soured about his rude departure on Tuesday. He left without telling her and she just had the in-vitro procedure done. As cruel as it sounded, this was karma. For once, she would leave him hanging for something important to her. How many times did she wait for him?

"No, I'm fully prepared to listen and do what I need to do here."

The panel relaxed for what was going to be a long process. "Well then, let's get started, shall we?"

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

With spring classes all wrapped up, her portfolio done and summer session not starting until late June, she had more than enough time to plan her graduation party. It felt odd to be planning her own party as she was used to planning parties for everyone else. But she wanted to do it herself; the food, the decorations, everything. It was more of a way to thank those who had been so supportive of her decision to study the culinary arts and pursue as much of her dream as she could.

But underneath all of the celebrations, her graduation marked a stark turning point in her life, and it only made her sad. It was the end of the first part of her life. Cooking, food, and putting a smile on people's faces were all she could think of when she was growing up. She had the option of going to the culinary school right out of high school, but she wanted a better understanding of eating for the whole body and not just tongue, nose and stomach. It did make the culinary school, its classes, easier for her.

The culinary school not only taught cooking, but prepared its students to be chefs, to work in real restaurants, to continue cooking and creating meals for others. For Kagome, that wasn't the case. For her, it was about a baby. She knew she was throwing away her talent, but for a family, her family, it was a sacrifice she was prepared to make.

That was why this party was going to be special. There were no limitations on food and beverages. Kagome even had the neighbors' permission to be rambunctious until the wee hours of the morning in exchange for home cooked gourmet meals for any day of the week. This was one last hoorah and she was ready to go out in style.

The whole week was spent preparing dishes she had picked out or created herself. Instead of a formal dinner, she was sticking to appetizers, food that could be eaten with fingers or with a small fork and carried around on plates or napkins. There would be healthy as well as not-so-good-for-you food. Everyone deserved a treat, a night to indulge the senses with food that tasted and smelled good.

During all of this, Hojo remained mostly out of Kagome's way. Instead, he went to work during the day, doing little things, and then coming home to find her busy, but she still prepared a dinner for him. And at night, when she was done cooking for a few hours, they would sit together and watch a movie quietly, a prelude to how things were going to be.

The graduation party was scheduled for Saturday, the Saturday that followed her in-vitro. She wanted a vacation and planned to do nothing the following week except to sit around hoping that the in-vitro took. She was told relaxation would help, so that is what she would do. There was that new spa that opened downtown that she wanted to try now that she had a reason to.

The invitations said things would start around five-ish so that her guests would be hungry; five being an average time for dinner for most. That gave her the day to rearrange the furniture in the living room and dining room for the guests, get herself dolled up and finish up the food and beverages. Hojo only followed Kagome's directions, helping her out when he could, trying to be supportive of this whole shebang.

Kagome stood in the bathroom, scrutinizing the outfit she'd finally decided on. She'd made the mistake of asking Eri to go shopping with her to pick out an outfit for the party. Kagome wasn't exactly bullied into buying this dress, but when she originally saw it, it wasn't love at first sight. But she hadn't found anything else that grabbed her attention either. Since Eri said she looked _smokin' hot_ in it, she bought it.

She had blow dried her hair and figured she leave it down not wanting to fuss with curling irons and hair pins. Her makeup routine was minimal: moisturizer, a shimmery white shadow, mascara and a shiny, fruity lip gloss. Lipstick was pointless with all of the eating and talking she was planning on doing. And even thought she wanted to, Eri had flat out told her no jewelry. The dress, she said, made enough of a statement.

Knowing she couldn't back out of it now, Kagome slipped her feet into the macramé espadrilles wedges Eri also suggested. They chose white so that it wouldn't compete with the vibrant color of the dress. Kagome was fine with the espadrilles, high heels with extra support, no need to do a balancing act on stems. She tied the ankle straps and stood up to check herself over one last time.

Kagome and Hojo worked on the finishing touches; a check for napkins everyone, extra toilet paper in the bathroom as well as extra trash canisters scattered around the rooms placed in conspicuous corners. Lastly, they set up the CD player to shuffle through their collection of music to add some ambience to their apartment.

_Ding dong._

"I'll get it," Hojo said to a nervous Kagome as she rechecked the food she had displayed on the dining room table. She nodded as he walked to the door.

"Kagome."

Kagome spun around to see Hojo with the first guest of the evening. "Hi," Kagome greeted with a bright smile.

"Kagome, I need to go to the study for a few minutes. Why don't you and Kikyou chat while I get her the documents?"

"Sure." Kagome waited until Hojo was gone. To say she was intimidated by the statuesque female was an understatement, and just the beginning. "Will you be able to stay?" Kagome had sent her an invitation.

"No, I can't. I'll be flying to meet with some of our investors overseas."

"Oh, well, how about something to eat while you wait for Hojo?"

"Thank you, but no."

"Anything to drink then?"

"That won't be necessary." Kikyou took a step toward the younger girl, cutting off her escape route. "Look, Kagome, we don't know each other very well mainly because I have nothing to talk to you about. I'm not into this Martha Stewart thing you have going on. But I do have something I need to say to you."

"O-okay."

"Do you _love_ Hojo?"

"Yes."

"And you are supportive of his work?"

"I am. I always have been."

"Then I'd suggest you get with reality and drop this pregnancy fantasy of yours. It's affecting Hojo and it's affecting his work. I have too much invested in this drug to let anything get in his way of completing it."

Kagome hadn't expected anything like this. Hojo hadn't said anything to her about it. In fact, he was the one who first suggested having a child and after the second doctor, when she said that they should wait, he was the one that reassured her that it would work out as long as they, the both of them, together, didn't give up.

"Besides, once live species trials begin, he'll be working longer hours, traveling more and will be unable to devote any attention to you, let alone your problems and some child you may have."

Kagome really had nothing to say to the woman. Sure, she could tell Kikyou that she was wrong. But was she really?

"Look, you've been trying for what, two years now to get pregnant? And you've failed every time? Obviously, you weren't meant to be a mother. Give it up and go back to being a maid."

"I'm a chef."

"Some difference. This isn't just for Hojo, but for your own sake, as well as the sake of all who'll benefit from Hojo's medicine."

"Sorry for making you wait," Hojo announced his return, a folder full of papers in his hand. "It wasn't too long, was it?"

"No. I was just congratulating Kagome."

"Yeah, we're all very proud of her. I'm sorry you can't stay and join in the festivities with us."

"I'm sorry too. However, duty calls." Kikyou took the folder from Hojo and slipped it into her overpriced tacky leather bag.

"Let me walk you out."

"It's all right. And Kagome, think about what I said."

Kagome smiled and nodded, putting up a front to keep Hojo from being suspicious. "I will."

Kikyou promptly took her leave.

Hojo turned to Kagome. "I'm glad that you two can get along. Maybe now I'll be able to convince her to have dinner with us. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Of course. She seems like such an interesting person." Kagome couldn't think of anything nice to say about Hojo's boss at this moment.

"By the way, what did she say to you?"

"Oh, just some friendly advice about not giving up on my dream."

"Wow. That's rare for her. She doesn't hand out compliments often."

"Must be my special day."

"Well silly, that's because it is."

The guests filtered in between five and five-thirty. Many had brought Kagome gifts, which she tried to refuse on the grounds that it wasn't necessary. No one would hear of it though. Kagome stuck the presents in the study hoping that they wouldn't make a public spectacle out of it. It was embarrassing to have to open presents in front of such a huge group.

She was saving that embarrassment for her future baby shower.

Her girls, Eri, Ayumi, Yuka and Ayame had all arrived together and took their place out on the balcony, basking in the warm June evening. The balcony was the one place in Kagome and Hojo's apartment that offered them privacy, yet, they were still able to be social with Kagome's other friends that they were acquainted with.

Most of the guests were other students, either classmates of hers or her own students. Many of her students wanted to try her cooking as well as to see how to host a good party. She never thought of her graduation party as a learning experience for others, but she was more than happy to accommodate them.

Kagome also made sure that she invited some of Hojo's co-workers that she had met so that Hojo wouldn't feel so left out. They quickly gathered in a corner to talk about the abuses of prescription drugs, the generic drug threat and how all of this could affect their jobs, a heavy topic that wasn't for the other guests to be involved in. They ended up migrating into the study for their own type of privacy.

Kagome buzzed around from group to group, making small talk and recommending which foods they should try. Considering that most of the guests here were culinary connoisseurs, the topic of most conversations was the food. Secrets were shared and tastes were scrutinized, which was what chefs did when gathered together. Not much different than Hojo and his friends.

Once Kagome had established contact with all of her guests, she moseyed on out to the balcony to join in with her friends for a few minutes before going back inside to check on the food and drinks. The first rule as a hostess, make sure the food and beverages never run out.

Since Ayumi and Ayame were both pregnant, and one being a wolf demoness, Kagome prepared their favorite pregnancy snacks and brought two large trays of it out to the table for them to feast upon freely.

"Mmm, Kagome . . . every time. You never cease to please," Ayame mumbled as she stuffed her face with youkai flavored snacks.

"Kagome will be my wife," Eri declared, popping something that looked good into her mouth, chewing the food thoroughly. "She can cook the food I need to regain my strength after a night of exertion."

"Will I have to cook for him too?" Kagome joked. In her hand, she had a small paper plate filled with various foods.

"Only if I need him re-energized for morning activities."

Ayumi just shook her head at the absurd, immature behavior of Eri. And she was going to be the one with a Ph.D., whenever she got around to writing up her thesis instead of literally fucking it away. Eri needed to be more like Kagome, in a stable relationship. And Eri, like Kagome, didn't need to be married. Eri needed a Hojo.

"Kagome?"

"Yeah."

"What you've done here is fabulous. Really great. So . . . I was wondering though . . . if you'll be able to . . . Could you cater my wedding?"

"Yuka . . . of course I will. I'd love to. I've never catered one before."

"Well, I know you'll do fine, especially after what I've seen here."

"This just means Kagome is exempt from getting you some tacky kitchenware," Eri piped up.

"Kagome doesn't give kitchenware," Ayame spoke up, defending Kagome's gift-giving abilities. "What did you get us . . . oh right, that spa package."

"Really?" Yuka wailed. "Maybe I'll have to rethink this catering thing."

"Actu . . . "Kagome paused when she heard what sounded like the doorbell. "Uh, excuse me." Kagome left the girls to find something else to start gabbing about. Then she heard it again, louder. Yep, it was the doorbell.

"Ah, Sango, you made it." Kagome stepped to the side to let Sango inside. "Come in."

"Thanks. Sorry we're late. It's all his fault," Sango said, pointing to the man behind her.

"Keh."

"Where's Miroku?" Kagome asked.

"Kagome, were you afraid that I wasn't going to make an appearance?"

Kagome shook her head. "No, it's just that you're her shadow and I was afraid that you'd gotten lost."

Sango and Inuyasha laughed at poor Miroku's expense. Kagome closed the door behind them. "Thank you all for coming. I was afraid that you weren't going to make it."

"What and miss your cooking? Never."

"Will you two wait here? I need to introduce Sango to some people." Kagome pulled on Sango, ripping her away from her shadow and the only people she knew in the chef-filled apartment. "Don't worry," Kagome whispered to the nervous Sango. "They won't kill you, immediately."

"Wha . . . "

The giggles of Kagome molded in with the other female laughs as Sango was thrust out onto the balcony. Everything went silent as all eyes landed on Sango, the stranger. Sango gulped. She shifted her weight uncomfortably as the stress of their glares chained her down, making her unable to escape.

"These are _The Girls_," Kagome started in her introductions, ignoring the faint hostility that hung around the table. "That's Eri, then Yuka, A-yu-mi and A-ya-me. Everyone, this is Sango, friend and the psychologist on the fertility clinic I attend."

"Psychologist?" Yuka asked. "What's your specialty?"

"Sexuality and relationships," Sango answered softly.

_The Girls_ exchanged looks. Yuka then looked back up at Sango. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure."

"Erie here is a promiscuous slut and I'm curious as to how that is good or bad for her."

"That's your personal question Yuka?" Kagome asked.

"Of course. Eri's life is open for all, at least between us."

Sango slipped into the empty chair and recalled everything that Kagome had briefly mentioned in her sessions. "Well, I was told that her main purpose for her sluttiness was for research, however, she . . . eh . . . you could easily do sexual research without being an actual participant."

Everyone started to add into the conversation, allowing Kagome to slip away with ease to attend to the two men. She found them by the food table, conversing quietly among themselves.

"Sorry for abandoning you like that."

"Where's Sango?"

"She's being inducted. She'll explain later. I'm really glad you could come. Follow me." Kagome escorted them to the kitchen. "If you hadn't, this bit pot of ramen would've gone to waste."

"For . . . me?"

"Yeah. I was cooking food anyways. And it's good practice. As simple as ramen appears to be, it's actually a complicated dish." Kagome walked over to the fridge, pulling out a wrought iron basket willed with several bottles of dressing. "For you."

"Why Kagome . . . it's your graduation."

"I know. But, if . . . no, when I'm pregnant, I won't be able to cook this much. This should last you and Sango for a month or two."

"I'm eternally grateful."

"Keh, it'll last two weeks."

"Who are all of these people? You have many friends."

"Some are my students, only here to see their teacher in action. Some are my fellow classmates, who'll also be graduating as well. Hojo scuttled away with some co-workers of his to talk geek. And then I threw Sango out onto the balcony with my friends. These are the girls who know almost everything about me."

"Almost?" Inuyasha asked, cocking a dark brow at her.

"Why Dr. Takahashi, a girl's gotta have her secrets." Kagome popped a cherry tomato into her mouth, winked at him, turned and sashayed away to do her rounds.

"Isn't that your favorite color?"

Red. It wasn't exactly his favorite color, but women looked damn tasty in it. Inuyasha had Kagome's figure trapped in his sights the moment he walked into her apartment. He had to start off by thank the weather gods for the early summer heat.

Kagome wore a flaming red dress that set his southerly blood on fire. It looked more like a shirt, its length covering just enough to be decent. But her long shapely legs weren't, especially in those shoes. The red was flattering against her healthy milky skin. The rouching of the waist slimmed her, but rounded out her hips, giving her a nice hourglass figure. And he wasn't going to try to focus on the way the front had this v-shape that allowed a pecking glimpse of cleavage.

_Where was the bathroom at . . . cold water . . . privacy . . . help!_

"Without Sango here . . . "He let out a long depressing sigh. "I'm lonely without her."

"Not my problem you two fuck like rabbits without making it official." Inuyasha plunged a pair of chopsticks into the pot and grabbed a heaping helping of Kagome's homemade ramen noodles. He hadn't told her that they were the best he'd ever tasted.

"Me, official? What about my image? I have my masculine libido to consider."

"Why? You only have sex with Sango. She only has sex with you. You only need to prove your libido to her."

Miroku scrunched his face up as he considered Inuyasha's words. "Really?"

"Yeah. Really."

"You knew?"

"Like I had a choice." This was really good ramen. It was different from the others, but how?

"And you didn't say anything?"

"Why should I?" He slurped down another demonic sized helping of noodles. Ah, shrimp. That was the difference.

"I suppose you're right." Miroku sighed as he leaned up against the counter. "It's her decision when it comes down to it. If we want to take this to the next step I . . . it's all for her, you know?"

Inuyasha remained silent as he mulled over Miroku's question. Yeah, he knew. Even thought it was for her, it did nothing for him other than to see her smile. It was all he would have, her smile. And even then, it would only last a few months. Once she was pregnant, Kagome would no longer be his patient. There would be no reason for her to visit him. No reason for them to continue their tiny friendship.

He had his hopes.

"Whatever."

"Really though . . . Do you think Sango and I . . . "

"Are you sure you want to ask me this? I haven't bee in a relationship for . . . "

"Four years, three months, twenty-two days, six hours and . . . "Miroku pulled out his cell phone, checking the time, "forty-seven minutes."

"Fucker."

"You want the seconds too?"

"No. I don't need a reminder about how much my life sucks. Thank you."

"Inuyasha, I'm . . . I'm sorry."

"Like it matters."

"But it does. You're a decent being deserving of a nice girl, good sex."

"Deserving doesn't mean I'll get it." Inuyasha glanced down at the pot of ramen Kagome made especially for him. Maybe it wasn't shrimp flavored. It easily could be some Jedi mind trick. The reason that the ramen tasted different, even better, was because it was his last.

Inuyasha remained in the kitchen, listening to Miroku babble to himself about Sango as he ate his ramen. Kagome was busy checking the food and checking in with all of her guests. She found Sango still outside with _The Girls_ engaged in a serious analysis of Eri's sexual research, though, it shifted more towards sex in general, which Eri appreciated.

Kagome took the opportunity to sneak away into the bathroom. She didn't know how long some of her guests actually planned on staying. In some regards, she didn't need them to be around all night. But, as soon as everyone was gone, that was it. Other than dinner with her friends, she wouldn't have time to host anything like this.

Washing her hands, Kagome glanced at herself in the mirror. She finally let the weight of tonight take its toll on her. It had the same feeling of leaving home for college. Home was still there, but, everything had changed. Another phase in her life was ending and another one was beginning.

_I'll never be able to dress like this again._

Exiting the restroom, she stayed back a bit to survey her guests. Everyone was happily conversing in their little groups, munching on her food. Smiles . . . smiles on _their_ faces. Kagome reached her hand up to her face. Tears? Why was she crying? And smiling too? So bittersweet was the scene in front of her.

"Kagome."

Kagome quickly wiped away her tears. "Yeah? Oh, Hojo."

"You okay?"

Smiling, she replied. "Of course. Just, I think I got something in my eye."

"Do you wanna make your announcement soon?"

"Great idea. Give me ten minutes to make sure everyone has a beverage."

"No problem."

"Where are . . .uh, your friends?"

"Had to go home. Family dinners and that sort of thing."

"Oh." Kagome noticed the slight disappointment that marred his grinning face. "So, ten minutes."

Hojo gave her arm a light squeeze as he went his way. Kagome went her way, off to the kitchen. Kagome had wanted to make an announcement for her guests, to let them know how much she appreciated their support and friendship. It was a way to say farewell to her students, classmates and secretly, her dream.

"Ah, Kagome."

"Dr. Miroku. Are you okay?"

"Yes, well no. First, I'm retracting my decision to make you my in-home slave. Uh, I'm going to try this monogamy thing out."

"Oh, well, congratulations. Look, I can still cook for you, a special you-with-Sango dinner. I prepare the meal at your place then you can serve it to her."

"Really? For me?"

"Yeah," she laughed out. "Not free of course. It's a side job of mine."

"Kagome that is . . . oh, that is perfect because Sango can't really cook."

"I'd keep quiet about that."

"Mmmm. You're probably right."

"And the _no_ part?"

"Oh, where is your bathroom?"

"You're almost there. Down that way and to your right," Kagome giggled at Miroku as he waddled down to the bathroom. She headed into the kitchen to grab the beverage containers out of the fridge. Kagome paused at the sight of a silver-haired male slurping ramen out of the pot on the stove.

"Eh, Dr. Takahashi . . . are you . . ?"

Inuyasha spun around, sucking up a large dose of noodles up. He'd been busted. "Hey," he blurted out sheepishly.

"Did you eat the whole thing?" Kagome marched over to the stove, pushing the muscular doctor out of the way to get a peek of what was left in the large pot of ramen. In the deep silver cooker, she found it full of broth and if anything more solid had survived, it was hiding on the bottom. "You did."

"And . . . "

Kagome looked up at him. "Are you still hungry?"

"I don't think I ever was."

"Okay. Do you still feel like or want to eat some more then?"

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Why?"

"Because there's more it you want more."

"Really?"

"Yeah, though I had planned on it being something you could take home with you."

"Well, then, I'm finished."

"All right. It'll be here when you're ready to leave."

"Hey, Kagome . . . "

Kagome glanced up at him, waiting for him to say whatever it was that he felt he needed to say. "Yeah?"

"You know . . . if this, your in-vitro is successful, you won't be my patient anymore." Kagome's mouth fell as what he said quickly registered. "Miroku will be your overseeing doctor."

"I . . . I didn't know that."

"Keh, it's not that big of deal." A lie. Always with the lying. The last time he was honest with her, it was brutal, hurting both of them, even though in the end, it seemed it work itself out.

"Oh." Kagome's eyes dimmed as they quickly darted down to the floor. She really hadn't though about that. She did think that her friendship with him was important. He had helped her, was a source of strength for her. She hadn't told him that. It was because of him that she was able to handle these treatments. Not because he was just her doctor, as she had referred to him before, but he did things for her, said all the right things that lifted up her spirits.

She was afraid.

"We can still be friends, right?"

Inuyasha shrugged, playing off his surprise to her question. "I guess, but don't be nice on my account."

Could she do this without him?

"I'd like to be friends, with you . . . even after this . . . "

Inuyasha took a step toward her, and she didn't back away. "Okay then." He was trying to give her, and himself, an out. A friendship was dangerous. He hated this confusion. Always wanting to be near her, but needing to push her away in order to salvage bits of his remaining sanity. What could he do? What should he do? Could he be that guy-friend, even if he had some intense crush on her?

"I think I can handle making ramen," she joked out, trying to sprinkle some light-heartedness onto their conversation. "I might even have to make an appointment with you under a false name or something," she said, chuckling, her airy voice reaching his ears, rubbing them the right and very wrong way. "That sounds kind of fun actually."

"Kagome, I . . . "He wanted to tell her. He could be a so much better mate to her than Hojo. She could be a chef if she still wanted. She could stay home. He'd love her, care for her, give her the experiences a woman like her deserved.

"I . . . "he sputtered out. The words were there.

_I think I'm falling for you._

"I . . . "However, the words were fighting him.

"Yes?" she asked, watching him with those eyes. They haunted him to the point where he started to see them on random women as his thoughts were smothered with Kagome.

"I-Ice cream."

"Ice cream?"

_Goddamnfuckingcocksucking . . . _

"Yeah, you have any?"

"Let me look." Kagome hurried over to the freezer. She searched around through all of the frozen meats and veggies she had stored. "Uh . . . I'm not . . . oh wait . . . here's some. Cookie dough ice cream." She held up the unmarked white plastic container. "My own recipe."

"It's not for me."

"Eh? But . . . "

"It's for you. My clinic funded some research done by Harvard Medical. High fat dairy, particular ice cream helped boost fertility."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but just don't pig out on the stuff."

"Wow. I hadn't read that yet. I've got all those magazines . . . "

"It'll be out next month, but hell, I figure why wait."

Kagome put the ice cream back inside the freezer with plans to eat some later. Inuyasha, he was so different than Hojo when it came to this infertility thing. Hojo's support basically came down to him saying _I love you and trust you to do what you feel is right_, a fairly passive choice. At first, she was grateful that he put that much trust in her. However, it did little to make her feel confident. On the other hand, there was Dr. Takahashi, the one who caught her lying, laughing, crying and struggling, but he never faltered when it came to helping her.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Who is that?"

Four other pairs of eyes peered over from their place on the couch searching out for this mysterious person Yuka noticed.

"Who's who?" Ayumi asked, having trouble maneuvering around with her swollen belly.

"That guy Kagome is talking to," Yuka added.

"Dr. Takahashi, her fertility doctor," Sango quickly explained.

"That's her doctor? If I had a hunk like that, oh yeah, I'd have no trouble getting knocked up," Eri blurted out in her usual style.

Ayame wiggled her nose around. "He's inu-hanyou. Interesting."

Eri rolled her dark umber eyes. "It don't matter. From my professional and extensive experience, hanyou are capable lovers, if not more so. It's like having the best of both worlds. The all night and into the next day libido of a demon and the mushy crap we human females like. Ah, but no offense to Kouga."

Ayame shrugged as she popped more food into her mouth. "None taken. Kouga is a little dense in the affection department, but he shoes it in his demon-like ways."

"We are all aware of Kouga's charms," Yuka amusingly pointed out. "I guess some girls are into violent displays of so-called affection, obsessions with some concocted obsession that all girls want him and a possessive nature to rival Scrooge."

"Sango. Is the cute doctor taken?"

Sango wasn't sure how to handle that question. He didn't have a girlfriend, but Miroku had pointed out Inuyasha's attraction to Kagome several times. And while she wasn't pleased about that situation, Kagome and Inuyasha, in their own strange way, helped each other out.

"He kinda has his eye on a particular girl." It was about as honest as she could be without revealing too much. Inuyasha would kill her if she said anything.

Eri fell back down into the couch, disappointed. She hadn't done it yet with a man with ears. It seemed kinky and she was sure that for this Dr. Takahashi, those ears were an erogenous zone. "All the good ones are taken." The four other women all turned their glares to Eri. "What?"

"This coming from the woman who's had sex with a different guy each month for the last three years," Yuka casually mentioned, tapping the girl on the arm.

"The one who can't commit to any relationship," Ayumi added as her and Ayame were down to sharing a plate of food.

"What about the Big-O guy?" Sango asked recalling her second talk with Kagome.

"Oh, him," Eri blushed. "So you know about him. Yeah, he was good. Really good, but . . . not relationship material."

"Ha," Ayame half-laughed half-coughed out. "What do you know about relationships?"

Ayumi nodded along with Ayame. Pregnant minds think alike. "The only stable relationship she has is with her vibrator."

"Ayumi! I liked you two ladies before the pregnancy hormones muddled your minds."

"Ah, Sango dear. I thought you had completely abandoned me."

Four pairs of eyebrows rose up at the sight of the dark-haired man. He chuckled nervously, reaching for his collar, tugging at it as he gulped. _Manmeat_. "Hi, ladies. I humbly apologize if I interrupted anything."

"Sango?" Yuka questioned as it was obvious this man was with her.

"Miroku, this is Ayame, Ayumi, Yuka and Eri, Kagome's friends."

"Oh yes. Of course. Ladies, a pleasure. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dr. Miroku."

Eri bit her lower lip as she checked the man out, head to toe and then back up. "A real doctor or do you just play one for fun and games?"

"I'm actually a real doctor, however, if you wish to play I am, how do they say it these days, ah yes . . . I am game."

Sango rolled her eyes. "Are you done?"

"For now."

"So, you're a real doctor then. What kind?" Ayumi asked as she finished up the food on the plate she was sharing with Ayame. Now, which one of her friends would fetch them another serving?

"I am an OB/GYN and am working on Kagome's case."

"Are all doctors at this clinic good looking?" Eric chuckled until an empty plate was put in her face. "Fine." She left to get the two stork-ed women some food.

Miroku only grinned. "I can only speak for myself. Sango, when you have a moment, there's something I need to speak to you about, privately."

"Oh, uh, okay then."

Miroku flashed a smile at her before turning to rejoin Inuyasha in the kitchen, but that trek was put on hold as soon as he saw Inuyasha with Kagome in what appeared to be a very engaging conversation. He could only imagine what Inuyasha would do if he interrupted their little moment.

He hung a ways back from the kitchen, wondering what the two could be talking about. Kagome was making her way to the freezer. Miroku had to laugh. Inuyasha had to be telling her about the ice cream. It was a subtle. Though Miroku liked to take the most direct path to a woman's . . . eh, heart, but this method would work well for his shy and awkward hanyou friend. There was only one problem: someone was coming.

Miroku made his way over to the kitchen, following behind the interrupter, just in case Inuyasha did lose his cool. He trusted Inuyasha; however, he'd never seen his friend act like this around any other female: patient or non-patient, and it was for that reason alone that he was worried.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"There you are Kagome." Kagome spun around and found Hojo standing there behind her. He tilted his head to the side as he eyed Inuyasha. "Dr. Takahashi, you made it."

"Yeah," Kagome beamed, missing Hojo's deadpan expression about her current company. "He was just telling me about some research his clinic was doing."

"Research?" Hojo glanced over at Kagome, to Inuyasha and then back to Kagome. "Sci-scientific research?" He chocked on the word. One thing he knew for sure: Kagome and science were like oil and water.

Inuyasha just smirked. "Yeah, what about it?"

Hojo chuckled. "Sorry, but for as long as I've known Kagome, she's never been one for science. Spent too many nights into the wee hours of the morning trying to get her to understand things like the law of conservation of mass."

Kagome just shook her head, not wanting to be made fun of by the intellect of Hojo. "Yes. I'm well aware about my inability to grasp molecular bonding theory, but it wasn't like that. Dr. Takahashi was sharing a useful result with me about my fertility."

Hojo nodded as he could feel anger rising in Kagome's tone. It was impolite of him to poke fun at her in front of her guest. "Oh, well thanks then," he said to Inuyasha. Turning to Kagome, he decided to drop the previous conversation all together. "Kagome, your speech."

"Oh, right. Sorry, I forgot. Uh, you'll want to mosey on into the living room, in a few minutes I'll be trying to give thanks, a speech." Kagome smiled at Inuyasha as Hojo took a hold of her arm and tugged her along to escort her into the living room.

Inuyasha took a step forward to follow them, but had to stop when Miroku stepped in his path, placing a hand on Inuyasha's chest to keep him from moving any further. "Hey."

"Fuck, where did you come from?" Inuyasha took a step back, surprised to see Miroku there.

"The bathroom. What's going on? Something happening?"

"Kagome's gonna give a speech soon."

"Oh, well, we should go on then."

"You talk to Sango?"

"Uh, no. She . . . she's found new and scary female friends that gave me that look – you know, the one that women have, the one that means death."

Inuyasha only shook his head. "No, I don't."

"Sure you do. You have to. It's the one that freaks males out, confuses them to no end."

"Nope. Sorry."

"Well, my hanyou friend, you may learn it one day." Miroku patted Inuyasha on the back as the two headed into the living room. A familiar smell ticked Inuyasha's nose, causing him to stop.

"What is it?" Miroku asked.

"This scent . . .I've smelt it before . . . "

Miroku waggled his brows. "An old girlfriend?"

"Fuck no. It's recent . . . oh, that woman that showed up at the dinner."

"You mean Kikyou?"

"Yeah, whatever her name is."

"She's here now? I didn't see her when I made my rounds."

"Older scent. She was here then left."

"To uh, exchange some files with Hojo," Miroku joked out suggestively as they took their place in the living room, away from the main crowd so they could converse quietly with each other.

Inuyasha scrunched up his face. The idea of Hojo having sex with anyone made his stomach churn. "Not possible."

"Not possible? You mean . . . "

"She's as pure as the freshly fallen snow."

"So my little theory about Hojo going behind Kagome's back with his attractive and powerful boss is wrong?"

"Your sexdar must be broken," Inuyasha joked as the living room filled up with Kagome's guests.

"I was so sure. Are you sure?"

"She hardly smells of him. No fluid exchanges at all. She smells . . . she smells like her name."

"Ouch." Miroku sighed as he glanced over at Sango. She had made new friends rather quickly. "I at least thought that maybe Kagome could have that excuse, but she doesn't."

Inuyasha quietly shrugged his shoulders, also disappointed in the revelation. But he already knew. The few times he had run into Hojo, he knew. Hojo and Kagome, each other's first and only. Yeah, it sounded all romantic and great, but Inuyasha didn't feel that way. Of course, he had no right to really feel anything about their relationship. He was first and foremost _their_ doctor. Everything else, including his friendship with Kagome, fell behind that.

Hojo and Kagome took their place in front of everyone, in the area between the living room and the dining room area. Both held fluted glasses filled with juice, both still following their alcohol ban. Hojo tapped a spoon against the glass hoping its high-pitched clang would quiet all current conversations. Kagome chastised him for knocking a spoon against one of her nice glasses, worried it would break it.

"Can I have everyone's attention please," Kagome called out in her teacher's voice. Everyone quickly silenced, giving Kagome their full attention. "Thanks," she giggled out.

"I just wanted to invite all of you here to really just thank you for your support and friendship. Without it, I'd have definitely not have made it where I am now. I have learnt so much from my classmates just as much as I have from my students. Together, you have taught me so much about food, and cooking and how it really can bring people together. And we've has so much fun together learning it."

Kagome chuckled as she wiped the tears away. She thought she could do this without crying. Who was she kidding? Kagome was a softie. Emotions always made an appearance as she had little control over them. Normally, she was fine, happy, but she could pinpoint the exact moment when she lost some of that happiness, some of that control.

But, the real question, when would she once regain it?

"Sorry." Kagome lifted her glass up. "I wanted this to be a party to celebrate you, and all that you've done to get me to this part. Cheers."

"Cheers," the guests called out, followed by the obligatory drink.

But before the party could resume . . .

"I'd like to say something as well." Kagome turned and gasped at Hojo. She wasn't aware that he had something prepared to say. "Kagome works so hard for others and she can't even allow a party in her honor actually honor her." The guests chuckled as they all seemed to agree with his statement. Kagome blushed. She glanced out at the guests, searching the crowd until she caught the intense look of Inuyasha.

Kagome stared right back at him, gulping down some strange feeling that was welling up inside of her. All of the sounds around her faded out, having instead only the hard pounding of her heart vibrate in her ears. Tentatively, she raised her hand up, placing it over her left breast. She could feel it throbbing. Was _he_ the cause of this? Or did she have a part in it too?

She fisted her hand and shook her head, breaking the gaze they were sharing. Kagome returned her attention back to Hojo, having missed out on most of his speech.

" . . . always giving. But now . . . now it's time for her to receive. As many of you know, Kagome has been doing all she can to be a mother. But, before that can happen . . . "

Hojo reached into his pocket, falling to one knee, presenting to Kagome a black velvet ring box. Kagome dropped her glass, her hands reaching for her gaping mouth. The quieted room filled with surprised gasps and a few _oohs_ and _aahs_.

Inuyasha was not one of those guests. His demon howled out, demanding Hojo's head to be served up on one of Kagome's black lacquered trays, wanting to rip the man to shreds. His human part wailed as his soul broke into a thousand unsalvageable pieces. Inuyasha clenched his fists tightly, his elongated claws tearing into his palms. His reddening eyes blinked, the growing moisture blurring the bloodied gold.

He resorted to do the only thing he could do. Run. Run as fast and as far away as possible. Turning, he left his friends, opening the door and then slamming it shut as loudly as he could.

Everyone had to see who would go ahead and spoil such a lovely moment. Kagome's eyes scanned the room, searching for the person who had left so utterly rudely. Rudely . . . only one person was that rude . . .

When everyone turned back to the couple, the moment was nearing its end as Hojo was happily hugging a stunned Kagome, her hand lightly gripping onto the velvety box. The guests erupted in elated cheers for the newly engaged couple.

"Miroku . . . "Sango started, unsure of what to say knowing why Inuyasha had stormed out so suddenly.

"It's okay Sango. You stay. I'll . . . I'll go talk to him."

"Be careful, he's . . . "

Miroku cocked his head to the side as he asked, "He's what?"

"He's heartbroken."

Miroku sighed, turning to exit the party knowing that he might not make it back. He knew he had already failed in catching up with Inuyasha. Inuyasha was an emotional hanyou, a lot of power there he just couldn't compete with. But he could hope.

Miroku panted as he watched the tail lights to Inuyasha's black truck screech horribly around the corner. Hunched over, his hands gripping his twitching thighs, he struggled to catch his breath. Once he was breathing near normal, he reached into his pocket, pulling out his silver cell phone with the _silhouette lady_ and Buddha charms jingling softly. He pressed the phone to his ear, listening to the muted ringing tone.

It wasn't that he expected Inuyasha to answer his phone. And even if the hanyou did, Miroku had no idea what to say to him. Miroku knew Inuyasha had an attraction to Kagome, and it was easy for him to see that. But this . . . this attraction went much deeper for his lonely hanyou friend, and Miroku was afraid to think that Inuyasha had actually fallen in love with the now engaged Kagome.

Miroku snapped his flip phone shut knowing he wouldn't be able to get in contact with Inuyasha until at least Monday. Work wasn't even a safe place for Inuyasha to find refuge. Friday was it? Yes. Friday was the day when Kagome came in for her pregnancy test. Their policy was that the RE would be present to explain any results.

Would Inuyasha skip that appointment to avoid her? Avoid the pain?

He headed back into the building and up to Kagome's party. His plans to talk and confess his feelings to Sango were pot on hold until they could both help Inuyasha. Inuyasha would deny their offerings of help. He would need it though and as his friends, they would be there for him.

Slipping silently back into Kagome's apartment, the party was just as lively as ever, with the guests wishing a dazed looking Kagome and a beaming Hojo their utmost congratulations on their impending nuptials. Sango was still in the presence of Kagome's close friends, no doubt discussing the recent proposal. He'd hit Sango up for information later. For now, all he could do was hang out by himself doing what he did best, observing people, well, the pretty girls.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's note:** The graduation party. A lot of things for Kagome to think about with what was discussed with the graduation panel about her portfolio, Kikyou said, what Inuyasha said and with Hojo's ring. Even I wonder what'll happen.

I've been going back and trying to edit this story when I have the time. It's been something I've been picking at all week. If you happen to catch something, let me know so I can correct it, thanks.

Thanks for the reviews. I hope you are enjoying this story.

And thanks for reading. Next time . . .

roshully


	16. Chapter 16

**The Gods' Opinion **

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

** xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx **

**Chapter Sixteen Absquatulate **

This was her secondary sanctuary. It was another place in her hometown where she could escape to when she needed to relax, and if she so desired, to be alone.

Last night's graduation party was overwhelming for starters. Before she was able to digest everything Kikyou had said, Hojo really surprised her with the engagement announcement. At the thought of engagement, Kagome lifted up her hand to examine the ring he presented to her last night.

It was beautiful, that she couldn't deny. In the middle perched a larger square cut diamond with two smaller triangular cut diamonds hugging the sides of the larger stone, all set in a platinum band. It was just so sparkly. She was curious as to its cost, but knew it was inappropriate to even consider asking. The first time he suggested that they get married, he couldn't afford a ring. Maybe that was why marriage wasn't an issue that was brought up until now.

Kagome strolled into the kitchen department of the store and mindlessly started to survey and examine all of the slicers, dicers, and choppers that were offered to her. She loved to see the newest gadgets made available for kitchen use. When buying a new gadget, Kagome couldn't wait to use it to create a meal. It was her toy.

It was this environment, this mind frame that allowed her to really think clearly, carefully about all of the recent changes and events in her life: graduation, her probable yet impending pregnancy, her very recent engagement and of course, the things Kikyou had said to her. What Kikyou had said to her was even more shocking and surprising than Hojo's engagement.

Kagome didn't really have a relationship with Kikyou, even though Hojo had tried often enough to get them together for dinner. They were two very different people, each being half of Hojo's ideal woman. Kikyou was intelligent and graceful, and a scientist, making her someone Hojo could talk work and recent breakthroughs with. What was Kagome to Hojo? She could cook, laugh and, well . . . that was all she could think of. Hojo could go to Kikyou for work stuff and Kagome figured he could live of the rest of his life with her.

Kagome picked up a stainless steel mandoline slicer. She needed a new one. This slicer was probably the only thing she was sure about in her life. Her pregnancy wasn't guaranteed, no matter how much she believed in Dr. Takahashi and his skills. She got the feeling that he would stop short of nothing to make sure they succeeded. That scared her, but at the same time, it calmed her. Here was someone so willing to do anything to make sure her dreams came true.

_Dreams . . . huh . . . _

_Oo, ice cream sandwich molds. I just have to have one of those._

With the package of molds in her cart, Kagome thought about what exactly were her dreams. Sure, she wanted the married-with-children package. She already had her education. However, what she was ready to give up was a career. How important was a career to her? She thought she could hold off on her career until her child was old enough for day care. That would be what, two, three years, almost too long of a break. She would only be that many years behind, and that's if she still wanted to have a career by then.

_Souta . . . grandfather . . . _

For some reason, thoughts of job and career always led her to dwell on the two dearest men in her life. They were her biggest fans and harshest critics, but always only wanting to help her to be the best she could be. And with her dreams to be a chef came their deaths. Did they have to die so she could have this fantastic career? Would she be betraying them, dishonoring their deaths if she didn't follow that path?

Now she was really lost. What was she supposed to do? What she wanted was for someone to tell her. Right now, she had no direction and she was not feeling like she was in control of her own life.

By this point, Kagome was filing her basket with a whole new dinnerware set. The jade, pink and dark amber colors were an interesting mix, though the curry spice color would be nice for the fall and they could all be paired with white or a nice glass set. This was her therapy, though she was only finding things to buy and not the answers she wanted. Were the answers on display as well?

In her left hand she held a silicon spatula and in her right, a stainless steel one. Which one was better? Which one was the right one for her? Each had their pros and cons. The silicon one did come in a variety of colors, however, she felt that the stainless steel was more durable. And where she was afraid the stainless steel one might scratch her cookware, the silicon one would be like an insurance plan for her pots and pans.

Was there a correct one? What was the right answer? Kagome held up the silicon spatula and studied it. It was pink. She didn't consider herself one of those types of girls, but she wasn't disgusted with the color either. There were other color choices: white, red, blue, green, and yellow. Was there even a right choice to begin with?

The same could be asked about the choices she now faced?

Baby or no baby?

Marriage or no marriage?

Career or no career?

_Souta . . . grandfather . . . mama . . . Hojo . . . _

Who was she really living for? Her life . . . whose was it? The control over her feelings, that control she lost . . . was it . . . could it be because she was no longer in control of her own life? Had she not recovered from their deaths as she thought she had? Was it really their deaths, or was something else wrong with her?

Tossing both the pink silicon and the stainless steel spatulas into her cart, she also grabbed the red one, adding it with the others. Red was a color for luck and the gods knew she needed some of the good kind. She really didn't expect a red spatula to give her good luck in her life, but, it might help her flip better pancakes.

Kagome continued to psychoanalyze her life using kitchen utensils as symbols and metaphors to represent the current state of her existence. She had taken an introductory psychology course as part of her nutrition program. Psychological development skipped along hand-in-hand with physical development. However, she wasn't sure that professionals like Sango could use spatulas or ice cream molds to analyze someone's mind. Maybe it was something chefs did.

No, chefs didn't do that. Food. Food was the instrument of their analysis. When she felt sad, cookie dough ice cream was her drug. When she was feeling frisky or really happy, she craved spicy foods. The types of food she sought comfort from really depended on if she was feeling content or sleepy, or even experimental. Kagome wandered what she would cook if she went home right now, and what it would mean.

With a cart full of things she didn't need, but wanted, she checked out. It was a lot to carry home resulting in a call to the local cab company for an expensive ride home. She wasn't too worried about the cost, it was the ride itself. She had the driver take the roads less traveled so she wouldn't have to watch the driver fret about in traffic.

Even though she hadn't found any real answers, she was feeling a little bit better. At least now she had the questions. The words her mother had shared with her at the Shrine during her last visit home came back to her, and as she glanced out the window with the shops and cafes zipping by, she wondered if Souta and her grandfather would say the same thing as well.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx **

Kagome walked down the bricked path, passing by other families who had come to this place for visits. With so much free time during her relaxing vacation, she took advantage of that free time to do some errands, and make some visits. Finding her spot, she sat down on the tiny patch of overgrown grass and made her self comfortable in the mid-June sun.

"I know I'm early," she started with a smile on her face, but she couldn't help but feel some sense of joy here. "There's so much going on right now, that I wasn't sure if I would be able to come next month, so I'm here now. I hope you don't mind?"

Kagome picked at the overgrown grass, tearing the tips of the tiny green blades off and tossing them into the air. "A lot's happened in this last year. So much in fact that I don't know where to really begin. I guess the beginning is a good place to start." Kagome giggled at her nervousness. She had to reason to be nervous, at this place, surrounded by those she loved.

"Uh, I graduated. I'm a certified chef. It feels so weird to be done with that. I had dreamed about going to culinary school for so long and now it's all over with. I can't really accept it yet. But I'm trying to."

She took a gentle grasp of the ring on her finger, twisting it a few times before continuing. "Hojo asked me to marry him. He asked me in front of so many people too. I always thought he was someone who valued his privacy and wanted us to be private. I was surprised. Take a look at this ring. It's so . . . it's way to fancy for me. I bet it cost a fortune. I haven't asked him about the price. It's not like we had gone to jewelry stores to take a look at rings. He just went out on his own. I bet you could burn ants with this stone if you so desired to."

"I'm still working on this pregnancy thing. But I don't really want to talk about that much right now. I'm supposed to be relaxing, taking it easy while I wait for the in-vitro to take. All I can really do is wait and maybe pray. I'll confess that I don't pray as much as I should, with me living at a shrine for a good part of my life."

" Lot of other things are going on. Ayame is almost ready to pop her fourth child out. Kouga is so going to kill someone soon if she doesn't. He just can't take it anymore. I know you would take advantage of that. It wasn't nice of you the last time you teased him. Ayumi is about half way along into her second one. I'm throwing them a joint baby shower next months. One of the reasons why I'm visiting with you now instead of later."

"I went to a Seibu Lions game the other day with Eri. Her flavor of this month is someone who works for them. I really don't know if he's a player on the team or a manager or something. But we went. Had a lot of fun. Oh, Matsuzaka Daisuke no longer plays for them anymore. He was offered a lot of money to go to the US and play. Get this, 50 million US dollars just to talk to him. That's what the team got out of it. I think he went to play for the Boston Red Socks. Eri and I thought about going out to buy Boston Red Sox Tees with his name on it. Ichiro of the Mariners is no longer our sports hero. I still have our Ichiro tees in my closet. I wear it sometimes when I cook in the kitchen."

"I wonder if Dr. Takahashi likes baseball. You'd like him. He is different than Hojo. A lot different. But . . . he's my friend. I could see both of you attending a baseball game together, yelling at the umpire. He seems to be the type would have the perfect mouth for yelling at the lousy calls. Maybe . . . maybe I'll introduce him to you one of these days. But I doubt it. He's a doctor and he's . . . well, he's busy, let's just put it that way."

Kagome lazily looked up at the clear blue sky, her hand shielding her bright eyes from the sun. It was such a nice day out. It was a good idea to come out here for this visit. She glanced back down, catching sight of her ring. She thought she would be happy that she was finally engaged. After the big deal she made about not being a married woman, why was she having doubts about this?

Flinging herself out, she hugged that which she was talking to, sobbing out loudly as the gravity of it all pulled her down. "I'm so scared," she cried out, squeezing the cool object tightly. "I thought this life … I wanted to believe that this was the life I wanted. So…so why I am so unsure about this?"

She glanced up at what she was talking to. Never did she expect an answer from them. "Souta …"

Curling up into a tiny ball, she hugged the headstone of her brother as she let the tears pour out. She hated crying all of the time. The end of July would mark the second anniversary of his death. But she didn't know what she would be doing at the end of July. Besides, she wanted to talk to him, to try and sort through her feelings and figure something out for sure. Her brother had always been there for her, offering her his support, being the best little brother she could ask for.

Kagome always felt better after visiting him and talking with him. And in some way that only her grandfather could really explain, Souta did answer her, offering her advice. It would just appear in her head and then she would move forward. Would Souta be able to help her this time?

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Hojo sat in the reception area of the fertility floor at the _Izayoi Clinic_ as he waited. He started back up at work this week to begin finding qualified candidates for the live species trials, but he was forcefully adamant about making _this_ appointment. He had a lot of making up to do on her behalf for missed appointments and ditching her at the egg implantation procedure. Yeah, he was a jerk, but he was so lucky that Kagome was such a sweet and understanding girl.

He felt a little uncomfortable being alone with strange women. Having come over straight from work, Kagome didn't arrive with him. They were to meet here for the big appointment. Today, she was scheduled for her first pregnancy test. And he wouldn't deny that he was a little more than excited for it. Everything in his life was coming together perfectly.

His work was progressing faster than he had imagined and he hardly faced any hiccups. A few computer problems here and there, but overall, nothing resulting in a need to redo year's worth of work. From what he and his team had proposed, there was maybe two to three years of live species trials, if that, and then he'd have a drug out on the market. He considered it his part in making an ideal society.

Then there was his relationship with Kagome. She was such a vibrant and kind girl, having made her impression on him back in high school. By going to college, he thought he could forget about her, but instead, being surrounded by all of those other girls; none could be compared to Kagome. He was more than surprised to find her in one of his chemistry classes, like fate had intervened.

Now, they were engaged to be married and it was even possible that she was pregnant with his child. His life would be on track towards completion. There was nothing else he could ask for in his life, a good career, a wonderful girl, and soon his own family. It was all like he had planned.

"Kagome," Saori called out, standing up from her place behind her desk. "Kagome."

"Uh, she's not here yet," Hojo said, stumbling over his words as he fumbled out of his seat. He made his way over to Saori's station. "She's supposed to meet me here."

"That's all right Mr. Akitoki. I am well aware of Kagome's attendance record. It's possible that some road accident or construction is keeping her."

"We don't mean to be so bothersome."

"Nonsense. It's fine. It's a test that she can do at any time. Today was just the earliest we could test her for accurate results."

"Oh, okay then."

"If you wish to remain here and wait for her, you may."

Hojo nodded his head as he really had no other choice. If he left, Kagome might show up and then what excuse could he have for not being here with her. That was not the type of man, not the father he wanted to be. And so, he would wait.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Sango and Miroku hovered around Saori's desk, spying on a very glum-looking Hojo who was still sitting in the reception area. Saori had brought him a cup of tea and a snack from the vending machine. Saori left him in the chair he had been seated in since the morning.

"Four hours," Saori said to the interested party as she sat back down in her seat.

"Really?" Miroku gasped out, a bit surprised not only by Hojo's presence, but his persistence.

"This isn't like Kagome," Sango commented as she went through her mail. "Has he tried calling her?"

"Yeah, like every fifteen minutes." Saori's bleak face glanced over at Hojo. "It's really sad."

"Something could've happened to Kagome."

"Miroku, you know you can't say things like that out loud."

"I know and I don't want to be the one that says it, but neither can I be one to just ignore the situation."

"Still . . . "Sango sighed as she held an envelope in her hand, her thumb lightly brushing over its smooth, dry surface. "You don't think . . . "Now she didn't want to be the one who said anything. It was superstitious to say what one was thinking out loud that could possible curse another. Normally she wasn't one to accept the possible existence of ghosts or spirits, but she could never shake off the vibes she felt when saying bad things. Yes, words had an unknown supernatural power about them. That within each noun and verb, an entity existed that could mold and shape the fabric of reality for the one spoken about.

"I can think it Sango, but I dare not say it."

Sango misled, just faintly at the man standing next to her, his hand, not on her ass like he usually tried, but on her look back, rubbing comforting circles of warmth. She turned to look at him, losing herself in his soft violet buds that blossomed into concern for both her and Kagome.

Since the graduation party, Kagome and Sango's relationship evolved beyond a typical doctor/patient one and into the beginnings of a real friendship. It seemed that Eri, Yuka, Ayumi and Ayame had all given their thumbs-up seal of approval for the psychologist. Those girls really cared for Kagome and were only looking out for her. It was a rare thing to have such bonds, like sisters. And Sango was now a part of that sisterhood. She could no long see Kagome as just her patient, but a real friend in need.

"She'll be alright," Miroku reassured her, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him. "We must believe in her, as her friends."

"Mi . . roku . . . "Sango turned away, hiding her fresh tears.

Saori sniffled too, bringing attention to her emotional state. "That was beautiful."

Sango chuckled at Saori. "Yes, it was. And he's right."

"Does Dr. Takahashi know?"

Sango and Miroku both looked up at each other. No, he did not know. Neither had spoken to him since he bolted out of Kagome's graduation party. Both had left Inuyasha alone to give him the space he required to get over his attraction to Kagome and to get back to the way things were before Kagome bent over to get a drink at the water fountain. It was an impossible task, but on that Inuyasha had to do for himself.

"No," Miroku calmly replied knowing that the duty was now on his shoulders. "If you see him, tell him . . . "Miroku paused. Both Saori and Sango glanced at him as they awaited his instructions. "Just tell him to come see me."

"Sure thing Dr. Miroku."

"Sango dear, do you have time to accompany me for a light lunch."

"I do actually."

"Saori, if Inuyasha does come looking for us, tell him to call our cells."

"Sure."

Miroku escorted Sango out of the depressing office to try and brighten her spirits with food and his company, though he didn't expect too much. He watched as everyone who had interacted with Kagome be affected by the warmth and kindness of her aura. He hoped for Sango and maybe even Inuyasha's sake, that something horrible had not happen to Kagome, something that took her away from everyone.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx **

The middle-aged couple sat with their chairs seated right up next to each other, their interlocked fingers and clasped hands resting on the arm rests. They took several deep breaths and let out several frustrated sighs as they told their sad, desperate tale of conception woes.

". . . my wife and I . . . "

_Wife._

Inuyasha let out a sigh as he made squiggly scribbles on the pad of lined yellow paper resting in his lap. The blank ink was nothing more than a blurry blob now than a continuous looping of lines and curves.

Kagome was going to be a wife.

She was that much further away from him. Not that he really thought he had a chance with her, but, without a ring on her finger, the chance existed. Now, she was off the market, set to marry the man she loved. As much as he wanted her to be happy, he just couldn't. And he figured he never would. All those other guys said that they could be happy as long as the girl was happy were full of shit. And they were cowards too.

". . . it's so hard to believe that a child is possible when we've face so many complications, so many negative tests . . . "

Today was that day. Considering the time, she had to have already been tested with the results arriving tomorrow. His clinic liked to test the sample thoroughly, and then double test to rule out any mistakes. Then, she would have to come in a few days after the initial test to make sure the serum beta hCG levels actually increased. He would receive the results of both those tests, call them in for an appointment and then share the news.

A positive result meant she was no longer his patient. It would be best to have Miroku be the one to give them the good news so they could immediately start working together, getting her through the morning sickness and beyond. For him, a positive result meant that their friendship would be over because he would initiate its ending.

A negative result meant that Kagome and Hojo had a choice. They could either continue with the treatments or walk away. As much as he would be better off if they just walked away, he knew that wouldn't happen. Kagome wasn't the kind of person to give up so easily. And then he would have to suffer along with her as he did all that he could to help her, them.

". . . we were told that this was the place to come. We've traveled a long way to be here and hope you can help us."

Always with the hope. Nobody asked him about his hopes or his dreams. And why should they? They always went somewhere else first, coming to him as their last resort. Hopes and dreams could be tainted by a hanyou's touch. He was a curse to them, a curse to himself.

Inuyasha put down his pen as it was his turn to talk. Shame on him for not paying any attention to the couple. There were thoughts about passing this on to a different doctor in the department. If Kagome's test was positive, he would really need that vacation he'd been promising himself for the last few years. Sure, it looked like he was running away. And maybe he was. What as that stuff that Sango was always spouting out? When someone was trapped, cornered, they had two responses, to stand and fight, or to flee: flight or fight. Kagome might not appreciate a fight, so he'd run.

He could run and never come back.

There was plenty of money in his savings, plus he was heavily invested in the clinic, so money wasn't much of an issue. There were plenty of brilliant and talented people working at the clinic that could easily take over for him. And with the board of directors in direct control of the clinic, the future of the clinic was in good hands. It was that easy to leave.

"I won't make you any promises, but we'll do everything we can. Okay?" The couple nodded enthusiastically. "Let's schedule you both for a complete physical this week so we can gather the biological information we need. Saori will work with the two of you for convenient appointment times."

"Thank you so much Dr. Takahashi. This means so much to us."

Inuyasha quickly shrugged his shoulders. "Right. Have a good day."

The hopeful couple left and he couldn't be happier. There was no reason for him to deal with all of this excess baggage. Slamming his files shut, he decided that he just needed to get out, go get a late lunch somewhere. It wasn't good for him to sit around and dwell on Kagome and the other things he couldn't have.

Leaving his white lab coat draped over the back of his leather chair, he loosed his hair, making sure he had his wallet, keys and cell phone, and then he took off. The scent of Hojo was still strong, but he'd been gone for a while now. However, he missed the concerned look on Saori's face as he bolted out through the glass doors, heading for the stairwell.

Once Inuyasha had disappeared through the stairwell door, Saori picked up her phone and dialed Miroku's number. She wasn't sure if she'd get a hold of him, but she had to try.

"The pleasant voice you have the distinct delight of hearing is that of Dr. Miroku. Unfortunately, this is just a poor representation as it is a recording. Leave a message for me."

After that ridiculous message and the beep, she left her message. "Inuyasha has just left. He has no more appointments scheduled, but he didn't ask about Kagome. I-I . . . I'm scared for him Miroku. He looked . . . detached . . . spiritless. I don't think he would, but . . . I don't know what he would do." Saori hung up the phone, trying to keep herself composed. It'd worry the patients if she started to cry for her boss.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx **

Like a good little puppy, he returned to week each day even though it was getting harder to as the days counted down to the moment when Kagome's tests would be ready. Each day he had to mentally and sometimes physically prepare himself for that folder to arrive, the one with her name on it. And while it was a relief when that folder wasn't on his desk, too many days had passed by and he couldn't help but worry that something was wrong.

Even his youkai seemed out of phase.

He left his office t talk to Saori. It had been a week and nothing still. That was too long to wait for the test results. The lab was much more diligent than that. Saori was quietly working at her desk; the soft melody of her music was accompanied with her sporadic humming.

"Saori."

Saori looked up from the computer and smiled at her boss. "Yes."

"Is there any reason why I haven't received Kagome's test results yet?"

"Uh . . . "Uh-oh. Saori averted her eyes to the shocking pink sticky note left for her. It was a reminder of what to do when _this_ happened. She put on a fake smile hoping she could trick him just this once. "Dr. Miroku would like to talk to you about that."

"Shit." So it ended up positive. He wanted to be happy that he was successful, but it wasn't happening.

"Don't . . . "Saori stopped herself.

"Don't what?"

"Eh, don't cuss out Dr. Miroku too much. Sango hasn't given him an answer about the moving in thing." Thank the gods for water cooler gossip. "He's a little sensitive right now."

"Like that's ever stopped me before." Inuyasha left his secretary to work as he took the stairs down to the gynecology floor where Miroku's office was.

So, he'd finally broken down and asked Sango to be monogamous. It seemed he had missed a lot by avoiding everyone and everything by drowning his shitty emotions in huge bowls of cheap ramen and intense exercising. It was safer than drinking, but damn, his body still hurt from the overexertion of the physical punishment. Luckily for him, Miroku was in his office.

"Oi."

Miroku looked up and at seeing Inuyasha, gulped hard. He knew exactly why the hanyou was here and knew that he couldn't lie to him either. Inuyasha's demonic senses were really going to do the both of them in. Miroku had envisioned his death at the petite, yet mighty hands of the lovely Sango, not a pissed off hanyou. In how many ways did the gods have to curse him?

"Inuyasha, what brings you down to this floor?"

"Head Sango hasn't given you an answer yet." Inuyasha sat down on the couch in the OB/GYN's office. It was comfy, but he preferred his own chair.

"Oh, you heard that. I asked her over the weekend. She was surprised that I was the one who asked."

"No doubt about that."

"I'm taking her 'let me think about it' as not a no answer, but a definite maybe."

"You're always the optimist."

"Well," Miroku paused, hoping he was ready for this, "I know you didn't come to cheer me up. So what brings you here?"

"Kagome's test results."

"Kagome's test results."

"Did I stutter? Yeah. It's been a week. The lab rats down there work fast."

"Inuyasha . . . "

"Miroku," Inuyasha interjected, pausing to take a breath to ready and steady his being. "I can take it."

"Are you sure? I don't want my office to be declared a state of emergency."

"Fuck just . . . Just get it over with."

"Fine." And Miroku told it to him straight and honestly, everything he could from the beginning.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx **

Hojo opened the door wanting to rid the barrage of knocking and rapid doorbell ringing. It only worsened his headache. He was surprised. "Dr. Takahashi."

Inuyasha barged into the apartment. "I want to talk to Kagome."

"She's not here."

"Where is she then? Her mother's?"

"I-I . . . I don't know."

"What? What do you mean?"

"She's gone Dr. Takahashi. I don't know what else to say. I waited for her, the day of the appointment, but she never showed up. When I returned here, she was already gone."

"I don't . . . you mean . . . "

"All of her belongings, her clothing . . . her kitchen . . . gone."

Inuyasha didn't know what to say. He never expected this. "Did she leave a note or something?"

Hojo reached into his pocket and pulled out a softened, crumbly piece of paper. Inuyasha's ears twitched at the small jingle sound of soft metal meeting the hardwood floor. Ignoring the sound, he unfolded the paper, catching the salty stains of her tears decorating the pink piece of paper.

_I am a broken woman, unworthy _

_ I am so sorry _

_ I do not deserve your love or your forgiveness_

"Did you call her mother? Her friends?"

Hojo took the note back from Inuyasha. "Yeah. No one . . . no one has heard from her."

"What about her job at the school?"

"She's not teaching there anymore."

Inuyasha really couldn't believe it. This wasn't the Kagome he knew. What happened? Something had to have happened to trigger this. It . . . he was at a loss. "Can I use your bathroom?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

Inside the tiny room he stared at himself in the mirror. Kagome's scent was mostly faded from this place. Turning on the faucet, he splashed some cold water onto his face as he digested this revelation. Had Kagome really just ran away? He never figured her to be one to give up so easily like this. But beyond that, she just disappeared.

Turning the water off, he leaned down to use the hand towel to dry his face when a rusty smell waft up to his nose. Taking a glance down, he noticed that it had to be coming for the waste basket just below. From his general chemistry courses, he knew about how certain metals oxidized when left in the open air for a given amount of time. This was the smell of corroding metal, specifically iron. Iron left out in the open would be bombarded by oxygen molecules. Iron was also the key element for oxygen bonding in hemoglobin, in other words, blood. This was Kagome's blood.

He dug through the pile of discarded tissues and other bits of garbage until he reached the very bottom of the basket, finding a pair of white cotton panties that was folded in a manner to conceal something. He set the folded material down on the counter so he could careful unwrap it. What he saw explained Kagome's seemingly bizarre behavior.

Cradled in the crotch was something that pained him to look at, yet, another part of him was elated to see the darkened rusted umber chunk of tissue speckled with grayish-blue pieces. The beginnings of Kagome and Hojo's child was evident, however, it was all over now. It probably happened that morning, the day the first test was schedules, only for her to discover the results in this manner.

Wadding the material up, he tossed it back into the waste basket and left the bathroom. He found Hojo sulking on the couch, clutching onto a framed picture of him and Kagome during a happier moment. Inuyasha wondered if he should even say something.

"I didn't know. She, she was packing her stuff up right in front of me and I didn't ask. I just assumed she was reorganizing."

Inuyasha shook his head. Nothing he could say would reach Hojo. He left the broken man alone in the apartment, closing the front door shut behind him. His hand lingered on the door knob as his thoughts drifted back to his discovery. How many times did she wake up only to see _that_? As a male, he could never understand how she felt.

"Did you come by to offer some comfort to Hojo?"

Inuyasha glanced over to see an elderly woman making her way down the hallway. "Uh, no, I was looking for Kagome actually."

"Oh, yes, poor girl. She cried so hard last week when she moved out."

"You saw her?"

"Oh yes. She gave me some of her plants as well as some of her cooking. Enough to last me a week or so. Kagome was worried that I might not be ale to care for myself with her not being here. Such a sweet girl."

"Do you know where she went?"

"No, but I didn't ask either. She said she was going to find herself. That there were signs that showed her she was not meant to be here. She is still young and has time to do that. I don't worry about her though. She had a capable man with her."

"Man? What man? Hojo?"

"It wasn't Hojo. He was . . . confident. They were obviously very good friends. He helped her move her stuff out and they left together."

"Uh, thanks." Inuyasha wandered past the woman as he made his way to the stairs. There was more he couldn't believe. Kagome wasn't cheating on Hojo, but who was this man? A potential love interest? Damn. He just could not accept any of this. No part of him could.

Now was a perfect time to take that vacation. As much as he wanted to scour the city, even the country for her, he was most likely the last person she wanted to see. He promised her a child and he failed her. Instead, she had to fail another loss. According to her records, that was the ninth failure. Nine times she lived a dying dream.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx **

He made his way back to the office so he could scratch off a few weeks on the calendar for a vacation. There were only a few open cases he still had which he could easily pass on to some other doctor. They often complained that they weren't getting enough work.

"Oi Saori," he greeted his secretary.

"What can I do for you Dr. Takahashi?"

"First, shuffle my appointments to other doctors. I'm taking a vacation."

Saori snorted out a loud cackle. "April Fool's was a few months ago."

Inuyasha growled at the girl, quickly silencing her. "I'm fuckin' serious here, okay?"

"Of course. Anything else?" She quickly retained her cool demeanor at the tone of her boss's sharp voice.

"Yeah, what exactly is our payment policy?"

"I don't think I understand your question?" she cocked her head to the side as she inquired about what it was he was really asking about.

"If . . . if we fail . . . if I fail at getting the couple pregnant, what's the deal with that?"

"Uh, it's not like we have a buy one, get one free deal. Is there a specific couple you had in mind? I could access their file . . . " she said as she turned back to the computer to search through the records.

"Kagome's."

"Okay, give me a sec." She quickly typed in Kagome's name and patient number. The file appeared on the screen, and Saori examined what was stored on the computer. Her brows crossed as she found something that she didn't even know was there. "Huh, that's strange."

"What?"

"Well, it says here that her balance is zero."

"Zero, as in free? I don't do shit like this for free."

"No, not free. Zero as in paid. In full to be exact."

"Already paid? When?"

"Let's see. Paid by check dated a week ago. Looks like whoever paid it went directly to the accounting department and took it up with billing. But they haven't posted a copy of the check into her records yet. They usually do that at the end of each billing cycle."

"Anything else?"

"No. Oh, wait. There's a note here at the bottom of the bill. It mentions a contract Kagome signed."

"Yeah, I know about that. Her and Hojo were supposed to sign a contract."

"Let me bring it up." A few keystrokes entered and an electronic copy of the contract appeared on the screen. "Uh, according to this, he didn't sign it. Only her name is listed."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm looking at the copy of it right now."

"And the other signatures?"

"Yup, just one. See for yourself."

Inuyasha walked around the desk and bent down next to Saori so he could look at her computer screen. His claws dug into the back of her chair. "Sneaky bastard. I'll kill him." Inuyasha had forgotten about the contract and didn't know that Kagome had taken care of it herself, going to the one person that shouldn't have gotten involved with this case to begin with. But, that would wait until after he got back from his vacation.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx **

**roshully's note:** Sorry for the short chapter. But I ended it here because I really couldn't stretch it out anymore. So, you can all celebrate, finally. Kagome and Hojo are no more. They are disbanded.

And the story continues . . .

The title of this chapter is just a fancy way to say 'departure'. It looked cool since it has the letter 'q' in it.

totally

Have a good weekend.

roshully

Sorry about the delay. is still not letting me upload, so I finaggled things and got it to kinda work, but we'll see . . .


	17. Chapter 17

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Seventeen Unexpectations**

**xxxxx-----Six Months Later - Winter-----xxxxx**

Inuyasha sat at his desk reading up on non-obstructive azoospermia. One of his patients had no sperm in his ejaculate and wanted to father a child of his own. It was rare for Inuyasha to come across a patient with this type of condition and because of that, he hardly worked on the procedure needed to grant this man his wish. The procedure included doing a testicular biopsy to search for viable sperm. It only took one to fertilize an egg. But it was a tricky and difficult situation.

His phone buzzed at him, yanking him out of his reading. Reaching over, he pressed the speaker phone button so he could turn to his attention back to his reading. "Yeah."

"You have a lunch meeting in a half hour with your lawyer at _KenSen_. I was kindly asked to remind you about it."

"Fine. Thanks. Oh and Saori…"

"Yes?"

"Contact one of our urologists about a testicular biopsy."

"Anything specific?"

"No, not really. I just have a patient with non-obstructive azoospermia. I just need some basic info."

"Sure thing. Enjoy lunch."

"Keh." The phone turned off when Saori hung up. He sighed as he closed the thick book up and sat it down on his desk, pushing it off to the side. Standing up, he checked to make sure he had all of his stuff: keys, wallet, cell phone and the mail he needed Saori to mail off.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

As he sat in his truck driving to this restaurant, he thought about the last couple of months. His vacation had lasted three weeks and he was surprised that he actually enjoyed himself as much as he did. Mexico was a nice, hot place as he toured the ancient Mayan ruins, learning about how similar their history was to his own, as well as how it connected to others such as the Greeks and Egyptians. It weirded it him out.

His vacation wasn't all educational as he took to the beaches and the jungles. He craved the fresh air, the freedom and the nature of it all. It was so different from his urban existence. He was half-tempted to buy one of the little huts in a village he stayed in and live out the rest of his days fishing. It wasn't a bad living, just a lonely one.

Thoughts of Kagome haunted him nightly, daily and all times in between. It took the whole summer to get to the point where she wasn't constantly invading his mind. He only had memories, memories and fantasies, of her. When spring turned into summer, he thought he would be okay. His feelings for her were only magnified by the onset of spring and mating season. Then summer slowly became fall and it still didn't go away, this yearning for this girl. Now it was winter and his desire was still hot despite the frigid temperatures carried into the country through by the Siberian pressure system.

He couldn't understand it. Why was she the one that tugged at his soul, clinging on and not letting go? A part of him wanted her to go away, so he could finally move on. And then an itsy bitsy tiny piece of him held onto her, for whatever reason he had, reasons that were still unknown to him.

Traffic was impossible with the cars, the snow and the ice. Drivers thought that something as simple as 'all weather tires' meant they could drive in this crap as if it wasn't on the roads at all. And where was that damn restaurant at? He didn't know why he had to drive this far out for lunch when there were decent restaurants within walking distance to the clinic.

When he finally found the restaurant, he was glad to find parking available that he didn't have to pay for. And it was covered parking so his ears were saved from invading snowflakes. Sure, they looked pretty, but they were dangerous, being so damn cold and wet. And they always managed to gracefully, gently fall onto the spot that would cause the most shivers. Clever bastards.

He took a moment in the cold weather to examine the outside of this place. Though he didn't drive to this part of town if he could avoid it, the few times he made it here, he'd never seen this place before. This had to be new and he hated new places. They were uncomfortable and the staff was bad because they weren't trained. Stupid lawyer.

The restaurant looked boxy from the outside. In fact, it looked like a giant glass box. Wrapped around the bottom and the top were tiny glass tiles in the colors of blue, green, brown and purple with some other colors mixed in between. In between these bands of tiles were giant pieces of glass that were not the usual window pane type glass, but molded glass with long horizontal lines slashed across each one. This window glass was a pale blue color and…was that water running along its length? What a waste of water.

Gripping onto the icicle that seemed to be the copper handle of the door, he pulled the glass opened and stepped inside, shivering from the change in temperature as he found the inside to be pleasantly warm. The ceilings were extended, giving the place an airy, almost outdoorsy feel. And they were painted a dark blue color with fiber optic lights that were on some timer which gave the ceiling an illusion of a starry night. Underneath his feet were pieces of teal green marbled tile. It looked expensive.

His ears picked up the gentle sounds of falling water, a fountain. Or that would explain the look of water running down the glass. Overall, the atmosphere wasn't that bad. It wasn't a place he would come to on his own, but maybe if he ever started dating again. This was a date place, as well as a business place, the kind of restaurant you took other people to just to impress them.

"Welcome to _KenSen_. Can I help you?" a petite, wide-eyed girl dressed in a white blouse and black skirt asked as she pushed her black hair behind an ear.

"Yeah, I'm meeting someone here."

"Okay and your name?"

"Takahashi."

"Right this way."

Inuyasha followed the little woman through an array of perfectly matched furniture and colors to a booth along the wall where his 'lunch date' sat waiting for him. Figures he'd have a table as close to the kitchen as he could so he could watch the cooks and make sure that they didn't fuck up his food. Damn stupid perfectionist.

Slipping out of his leather jacket, he dropped it over the back of his chair before sitting down. Despite the chair being manufactured from wood, it was fairly comfortable with its ivory silk padding on both the seat and back of the chair.

"Anything to drink?"

"Green tea. Hot," Inuyasha ordered without opening the menu that was laid out in front of him.

The bubbly waitress nodded and turned to the other man sitting across from Inuyasha. "And for you sir?"

"The same will be acceptable."

"Okay. Our lunch special today is a Grilled Vegetable Panini with Asian Tapenade. This is made with Italian semolina bread pressed with baked eggplant and zucchini seasoned with the Asian Tapenade and covered with a slice of mozzarella cheese. A side salad accompanies the dish with your choice of dressing. I'll be back with your tea."

"Keh, you understand a word of that?" Inuyasha picked up the menu, checking out the cover. The name of the restaurant was written in English and _kanji_ with the accompanying _romanji_ printed smaller over the _kanji_. He found the name of the restaurant clever, _KenSen_, a food offering to the gods. Were they trying to infer that the customers were gods? What a bunch of bull.

"I see you made it on time, for once."

"Whatever. When did you find this place?"

"A few months ago."

"Not like you." Inuyasha glanced over at the menu, trying to decipher the food titles. None of it made any sense to him. He only had one thing on mind for food. "So, why are we here?"

"I was contacted by a man who works under the minister of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare about the declining birth rate as well as the narrowing of the male birth rate."

"So, what do I have to do with that? If women don't want pups, that's not my fuckin' problem. And I'm not going to 'accidentally' inject extra viable eggs into my patients or make sure that they are male either."

"I have not said what the man discussed with me."

"Well, I just made it clear about what I won't do."

Just then, their waitress returned with their tea. "Have you decided?"

"No, because it's not on your menu. I can't find it."

"Can't find what, sir?"

"Ramen."

"Ra-ra-ramen? I'm sorry sir, but you're not finding it because it isn't on our menu to begin with. There might be a salad or something that contains ramen noodles."

"I want ramen. Got that? All restaurants serve ramen."

"As I've said, we just don't have that here. I'm terribly sorry. I could suggest another soup for you."

"Dammit."

"Inuyasha, cease this nonsense."

"No. It's your fault for bringing me to a trashy, uppity dump that doesn't serve ramen."

"Pardon. But you didn't specify a preference when I asked."

"Why you…" Inuyasha turned to the waitress, ignoring her annoyed look. "If you can't get me some ramen, find me someone who can."

"Uh, I'll se what I can do." The waitress scampered off to find someone who could deal with that cocky ass. She hurried to the office where she'd hopefully find her boss. That wasn't always a guarantee.

"…but I'll have it in the morning, right? Look, tomorrow is Thursday, the start of the weekend for me. These deliveries were supposed to be daily. Okay, that's fine. Thank you. Rin, what's up?"

"Ah, sorry to bother you…"

"It's okay, just …arg…Did you need something?"

"Yes. You actually."

"Oh?"

"I have a customer that, well, I don't know how to put this nicely."

"Then don't."

"He's…well, he's an asshole to put it bluntly and truthfully."

"Rin!"

"You said I didn't have to be nice."

"Fine."

Rin lead her manager out of the office and together they walked about a third of the ways toward the table before stopping. They staked out the only occupied table in that area, spying on the two customers.

"Oh no…"the manager groaned before turning and rushing back to the office. Rin chased after her manager, finding the mature boss straightening out stained clothing.

"What is it?" Rin inquired.

"The guy…that guy…he's a regular."

"Really?" Rin asked as she had never seen either of them before.

"First customer actually and sickly loyal. Any time he has any business meals, he brings them here."

"Does he tip good?"

"Yup."

"Good, then I'll put up with this."

"Fine and while you do that, get them a bottle of our best sake, warmed."

"Sure thing."

Rin hurried up the spiral staircase to find their bartender cleaning glassware and stocking bottles of beer, lager and other liquors for the night. She grinned at the sight of him as she skipped over to the bar. "Hey Jakotsu, how's it going today?"

"Good my lil' bumble bee. What can I do for ya?"

"A bottle of our best sake, warmed."

Jakotsu's soft eyes went wide with a matching smile. "Oh, did someone special come in for lunch?"

Rin rolled her warm eyes. "No. He's an asshole sitting there like a spoiled kid demanding ramen of all things. This isn't some manga."

"That's odd." Jakotsu filled a small sake bottle about three-fourths full of their in-season sake. He sat the bottle into a pan of already near boiling water to warm the rice liquor. He pulled out a glass tray with copper handles and feet, setting on it two sake cups made from a glass stained in a deep blue color.

Jakotsu pulled the sake bottle out of the water, touching the bottom to test its warmth. Determining that it was acceptable, he set the sake bottle onto the tray, sliding it over to Rin. "Love the flower." He commented on the fake floral decoration she had pinned in her hair. "All right. Are you going to take care of the rest?"

"Oh, um, yeah I can take care of it. Thanks."

"Hey!"

"Mmm?"

"You're working the lunch shift. I just noticed."

"Yeah. A girl needed to trade shifts for an appointment or something. The lunch shift is so much calmer than dinner." Rin chuckled as she carried the tray downstairs to give it to the annoying customer. She never had this much trouble during the dinner rush. Making her way over, she set the tray down onto the table, bowing as she stepped back. "Compliments of the manager."

Inuyasha eyed the drink suspiciously. "This ain't ramen."

"I know that sir. The manager will be out shortly to address the situation."

"Well when is he going to get his ass out here?"

"Inuyasha."

"What?"

"Have a drink."

"'Have a drink.'? It's like 11 in the fuckin' morning and you want me to drink?"

Rin turned away quickly, walking in the opposite direction before they caught her giggles. "Needs a drink to calm his ass down," she whispered as she left to tend on her other more patient and polite customers.

"She's right."

Inuyasha growled at the man sitting across from him. He slouched down in his chair, crossing his arms and releasing a loud enough _humph_ for anyone in the vicinity to hear. It was at this time that the manager, looking slightly more presentable, approached the table to address their apparent problem.

A deep bow was offered to the calm, yet wrong man. "My deepest and most sincere apologies. Anything I can do to rem…me…dy…." The manager paused as the situation became crystal clear. "Dr…Taka…hashi…" His name was whispered as if it were dangerous…forbidden…

Inuyasha froze. In the midst of his hissy fit, he completely missed catching _her_ scent. He turned in his chair so that his body faced hers, their shocked eyes both locked with the other.

Kagome stood up, more than surprised at seeing him here. She never expected it and thought she was safe from him. He was the stubborn type that only went to restaurants he'd been to before. Now he was sitting in her restaurant looking just as good as ever.

"Uh, Mr. Takahashi, is there a problem?" Kagome asked Inuyasha's lunch companion.

A playful smile tugged at the stoic face of the taiyoukai. "No. However, my little brother seems to have one."

Kagome gulped as she turned back to Inuyasha, dropping her politeness. "You have a problem?"

With the shock of seeing her gone, he was back to his cranky self. "I do. There's no goddamn ramen on the menu."

"Ramen? This…this is about ramen?" Kagome loudly spoke out, chuckling to herself. He hadn't changed one bit. "I'm sorry, but it didn't fit with the other menu items."

"Didn't fit my ass. _You_ could've made it fit."

"Excuse me for not asking for your opinion. However, this is _my_ restaurant and I decided not to have plain old ramen on my menu." Inuyasha was left speechless. He saw fire in her, the same as that time she barged into his office after his bastard of a brother sent her that letter. This time, it was a little different. Kagome had grown up.

"Mr. Takahashi, your usual today?" she asked in a sweet tone.

The lawyer nodded. "And you may feed my irritating brother scraps."

Kagome giggled as she pulled the menus away. "Absolutely. Please enjoy the sake." Kagome hurried off, catching up with Rin at the waitress station next to the kitchen. "Rin, make out a ticket for a Croatian Youkai Meat Pattie sandwich, medium-rare, and soup, and then put it in my box."

"Uh, okay. Kagome…who is that guy?"

"The one on the left is Takahashi Sesshoumaru, vicious lawyer and the head of the board of directors at the _Izayoi Fertility Clinic_. I met with him while I was being treated by the guy to the right, Dr. Takahashi Inuyasha."

"That Sesshoumaru is funny."

"If you say so." Kagome left Rin to do her work as Kagome entered the kitchen staffed by students from her culinary school that were using this experience as credit. It'd been a while since she came in here to do actual cooking.

"Hey Kagome."

"Hi Shippo. How's it going?" Kagome stood in the center of the room surveying her surroundings.

"What brings you to this neck of the woods?"

"Very funny Shippo. You still keep the noodles in here, right?" she quickly asked as she hurried over to the large metallic drawers.

"Kagome are you … cooking?"

Kagome lifted out a large handful of noodles and dropped them into a large pot. Deciding that was enough to feed an average human male, she grabbed another handful, adding it to the pot.

"Check it out everyone, the boss lady is actually going to cook."

Kagome glared at Shippo, instantly shutting the trap of the fox youkai. "I know that there should be a Croatian Youkai Meat Pattie sandwich being prepared." Kagome set the pan of noodles onto the burner and added the ingredients she had available to make a bowl of ramen.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"You…you knew…" Inuyasha couldn't believe it. He just couldn't believe his brother.

Sesshoumaru politely sipped his sake as he tried to block out his brother's whining. "What of it?"

"I knew you wrote up her contract, but…why didn't you tell me about _this_?"

"What reason did I have?" Sesshoumaru put down his cup now empty of the warmed sake. It was the good stuff. "Look here, she approached me. The contract was her idea and since there was nothing illegal about the proposition, I allowed it."

"I…I don't care about that. She said 'your usual'. What's up with that shit?"

"This is one of the few restaurants in the city that caters to both human and youkai clientele that is upscale and classy. The food is excellent and reasonably priced. I eat here everyday for lunch."

"And you didn't invite me here for lunch until now?"

"I had no reason to. I invited you here today because I had a topic of importance that I still need to discuss with you."

Inuyasha had nothing to say in rebuttal. Evan as brothers, they didn't have much to do with each other except for the matter that included the clinic. Inuyasha had brought his brother into it early on and let Sesshoumaru worry about the finer details so he could be a doctor first. It was together that they built the clinic into what it was today.

He glanced up at his brother, taking notice of the markings that literally defined his heritage. Inuyasha didn't have any of that. Sighing, he leaned back into his chair. "So, what did you drag me here for again?"

The two brothers discussed what they, as representatives of the clinic, could do to help offer solutions of a declining birth rate and a declining male birth rate to the ministry. Inuyasha decided to have some of that sake considering it was Kagome who personally sent it to them, thought she didn't know that he was actually here.

Rin returned with a large circular try carrying their lunches on it. First, she set down Sesshoumaru's usual order; a large medium-rare youkai meat patty set in a sandwich with all of the fixings a true inu-taiyoukai would enjoy. Then, she laid down a gigantic bowl of ramen dressed in an assortment of toppings ranging from snow peas to baby corn, with the scent of garlic and droplets of chili oil to warm the body during this recent chill that held the city hostage the last couple of days.

Inuyasha looked down at the oversized green-glass bowl with a sheet of copper plating underneath. Large, thinly sliced 'wok-ed' up pieces of pork swathed the clump of curly ramen noodles. "Wha…what's this?"

Rin shrugged as she tucked the empty tray underneath her arm. "I think Kagome said it was Sapporo-style ramen or something. Not really sure since it's not on the menu. Though, it does go to show just how talented our manager is. Do you need a refill of your tea?"

"We are fine." Sesshoumaru answered as it appeared that Inuyasha was too stunned to respond.

"Okay. I'll be back to check on you in a while. Enjoy your meals."

"Wait."

Rin spun around, stopping when she faced Inuyasha. Seemed he found something else to complain about. "Yes?"

"Is…is Kagome around?"

"Nope."

"No?"

"Yeah, she's not here. I think she had to go to the bank or something. Not sure since I don't normally work the lunch hour, but from what I hear, this is an everyday thing for her."

"Oh. Okay then."

Rin smiled as she almost skipped away to put her tray back and tend to her other customers. Inuyasha glanced down at his soup again. She remembered, didn't she? He really was at a loss about all of this.

Here she was, alive and seemingly doing quite well. And she even looked more beautiful than she did half a year ago, something he didn't think was possible with her. Yet, what confused him the most was that those feelings, his feelings about her and that strong, overpowering attraction to her were still there. Hormones? Spring fever? Nope. It was in the middle of winter. He just couldn't understand how his instincts and emotions worked.

Digging into the pile of noodles, all that time he spent trying to move on, to move away from his feelings for Kagome seemed to be a waste. The moment he saw her, her sweet scent filled his nostrils, her angelic voice clouded his hearing and those months of berating himself for possibly falling for her were so easily forgotten. Why was she the only one able to mess with his mind so effectively?

Business was discussed amicably between the brothers as lunched went on without another hitch. Together, they came up with a few topics that could be shared with the man from the Ministry as well as some other business about the clinic that needed to be discussed. Rin had stopped by to refill their tea, and then to clear away empty plates. She returned one final time with a small plate with finely sliced _nashi_ as a small after meal dessert to accompany the tea.

"Here you are," Rin said as she slid the _nashi_ pieces toward the center of the table. Bowing, she concluded her servitude duties to these particular customers. "Thank you very much."

"You are forgetting something."

Rin looked up and then down at the more courteous of the brothers, smiling cheerfully. "Everything has already been taken care of Mr. Takahashi."

"Explain," he coolly demanded. Never had he been given a free meal, despite his ancestry and status.

"I can't." Rin bowed again, failing to rid herself of that smile. "Have a nice day," she added before turning to leave. Rin shook her head, upset that Kagome had paid for the whole thing out of her own pocket. It wasn't about the tip; it was about the principle of the matter. The customer was rude, demanding and obnoxious, and yet, they were served _Kakuno Junmai Daiginjo_, one of the most expensive brands of sake on the market. That had to mean something.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

A little more than an hour later, Inuyasha made it back to his office in a slight daze from seeing Kagome after all of this time, and maybe some of that sake. Sure the last time he saw her wasn't years or decades, but it sure felt like it. But he never really knew how Kagome felt about him. Sure, there were instances were he could debate it, analyze it, but really, in the end he didn't know what her feelings were concerning him, and only him.

Sitting down in his snug leather chair, he leaned deep into the soft and worn fabric to let out a deep sigh. _Kagome…_ All it took was her name and…he glanced down, grunting out a frustrated growl. He was stiffly aware once again of how much Kagome really bothered all of him.

A knock at his door brought him out of his thoughts but not away from the throbbing pain. Rolling himself into the desk, he was now able to hide his current problem though not the pained scowl on his face. "Yeah."

The door opened to reveal two faces he wasn't in the mood to see this very instant.

"Inuyasha, how has this hyperborean day been treating you?"

"Been reading the thesaurus again?"

"Nope. I get those 'word of the day' emails and that just happened to be today's word." Miroku pulled Sango, by the hand, over to the set of chairs in front of Inuyasha's desk. "Hungry?"

"No, I already ate?"

"Really?"

"Yeah, an appointment with Sesshoumaru."

Miroku chuckled. "And how is the lord of the clinic?"

"Not bothered by the weather."

Sango shared in the laughs with Miroku. "So, where did you two eat? I don't see him eating at one of your usual spots."

"_KenSen_."

Sango and Miroku both blushed as very vivid memories fogged up their thoughts. "Hey, what did you have? Last week, I ordered the Wasabi-Marinated Seared Swordfish." Sango caught Inuyasha oddly staring at her. "What? Hungry again?"

"You're eaten there before?"

"Yeah, at least once, twice a month, if not more…oh. Oh!" Sango realized her mistake when she felt Miroku gripping her hand too tightly. She had turned to glare at him when she caught him just glancing down, eyes closed as he shook his head. _Whoops._

"You…"Inuyasha didn't know what to say as his nails burrowed crescent shaped holes into the underbelly of his desk. They knew. They fuckin' knew and didn't tell him. And he thought they were his friends and instead they didn't say one goddamn word.

Both were aware that he would find out sooner or later and knew what kind of trouble they would be in, not if, but when he found out. Now was that time to do damage control. The plan was that Miroku would talk as he hid behind Sango. Inuyasha would never hit Sango. Commence plan.

"We're sorry for not telling you," Miroku began, his grip on Sango tight enough to pull her up from her seat so he could hide behind her safely.

"How long?"

"Huh?"

"How long have you known?"

"Since the beginning." Miroku knew he needed to explain much more to the hanyou. "She…Kagome called us. She invited us. We wanted to bring you along but were asked not to."

"She didn't want to see me?"

Sango hit Miroku across the back of his head, knocking the string out of his tiny pony tail. "Ow, Sango dear."

"You're being incredibly insensitive right now. I'll talk."

"Okay, okay."

Sango slipped herself out of Miroku's grasp. "I can't say much because truthfully Kagome has been coming to me to discuss what she did and why she did it and I will not betray her like that." Inuyasha nodded, understanding exactly where Sango was coming from. "When the restaurant opened in September, she invited us to the opening. I talked to her about inviting you and she said she wasn't ready to face you yet."

"Face me? Why? What did I do to her?"

"You were you Inuyasha. You promised her that you'd do everything you could to make sure that she would have a child and she feels that she let you down by giving up so easily. She's ashamed of herself."

"Let me down? That's bullshit. She-"

"It's how she feels about it Inuyasha. She's wanted to call you, to apologize, but she's afraid that you'll think low of her." Sango edged back into her chair. She said what she could without giving anything specific kept in confidence away.

"She's been okay though," Miroku added, not wanting him to think that Kagome's been in some emotional funk for the last six months. "Hey, she's a TV star too." He'd wanted to tell Inuyasha about that for a while now.

"Wha…"

"Yeah. One of the local stations brings her on to do recipes for holidays and stuff. I've got copies."

"Pervert," Sango muttered, rolling her eyes away from the gynecologist.

"No, it's not like that. I swear. It's for the food, honestly." Miroku leered over at Inuyasha, whispering, "I'll send the clips to you."

Inuyasha didn't reply at all.

"Uh, we'll head out now. Hungry." Sango stood up and grabbed the back of Miroku's shirt, dragging him out of the chair. "Come along Miroku. I feel like a cheeseburger."

"Yes Sango."

He didn't hear Sango and Miroku leave, or the door closing behind them. Kagome didn't want to see him. No, that wasn't quite it. She felt that she was the one at fault, that she had done _him_ wrong in some strange manner. It was preposterous. She didn't do anything wrong. It wasn't her. He…he was the one that failed her. The promise…he remembered his promise to her. It was the one he didn't keep.

Canceling his appointments for the day was a tempting idea, but he wasn't the wallowing type. Turning to his computers, Inuyasha crumbled up all thoughts of Kagome, stuffing it into some hidden alcove in his mind in order to get some work done. Only later, with a cold beer, would he think about her again.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome dragged herself up the spiral staircase taking her into the bar section of the restaurant. The lunch hours were winding down and everyone was already getting ready for dinner. The bar was a great place to relax between shifts. It was dark, quiet and practically empty.

"Hi Jakotsu. Rin," Kagome greeted two of her employees as she took a seat next to Rin at the bar. "Something warm please," she asked Jakotsu, blowing her breath into her fisted hands to try and warm them up.

"Everything okay?" Rin asked as she sipped on her drink.

"Oh, yeah…I just have to report to the school since the wanna-be chefs in the kitchen are getting graded for this. Paperwork and junk."

"Ugh. Sounds awful." Rin giggled. She glanced down at her drink. It was some non-alcoholic citrusy concoction Jakotsu whipped up for her. It tasted good so she wasn't going to complain about it.

"It's not as bad as I make it sound." Kagome glanced down at the steaming brew Jakotsu set down in front of her. "Is it good?"

"Ha. You'll be the one to tell me." Kagome looked up at him, worried that he might have done something weird to it. "I'm just jokin' with ya honey. It's your hot dark chocolate recipe I borrowed. You look like you could use some flavinoids."

"What would you know about flavinoids?"

Jakotsu shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing."

"Hey, Kagome. Tell me more about those lunch customers."

"Eh?"

"The freeloaders," Rin teased her boss.

"I already told you." Kagome took a sip of her drink. Jakotsu picked the perfect drink. It even warmed up her numb toes.

"Jakotsu," Rin began, pouting and whining to the bartender, "how often does Kagome pull out the best sake to serve to some rude customer and…_and_ pays for their meal herself?"

"Kagome, where was I?" the eccentric man sang out. "There's a story here to tell. I can feel it."

Kagome's jaws dropped as she tried to prepare a rebuttal, but found none to use. Slouching in the stool, she let out a whiny sigh. She was stuck.

"Way before now…"Kagome wrapped both hands around the warmed glass of her chocolaty drink. "When I was still in school, I was with this guy…_the_ guy…The one I was going to marry, have a dozen kids with and live out the rest of my days being a happy wife and mother. That fairy tale life we as little girls all dream about was what I had, what I almost had. I…I couldn't get pregnant. My body continued to reject it. I realized that my life, my relationship was a fraud and…I was being unfaithful to Hojo in that regard."

Kagome took another sip before continuing with her story. It'd been a while since she talked about it. Last time was in September, with her friends. She invited them to _KenSen_ before opening night, hoping to give her staff a live run-through, only to turn it into this huge confessional. Luckily Sango was there to offer professional support along with her friendship.

"Before he asked me to marry him, the school was extremely impressed with my portfolio. At the same time, they wanted to open their own restaurant and asked me if I would run it for them, using my portfolio as the basis. I told them I would think about it. I wanted to do it. It was one of my dreams. The marriage, the child, important, yes, but, it would wait. This restaurant wasn't going to wait around. I lost the child immediately. So, there really wasn't anything to keep me with Hojo."

"Not even your love?" Jakotsu asked as he brushed away a tear. He was a sap for love stories.

"Love? I loved him. And I probably still do. He was my first. I tried to convince myself, and everyone else around me that I was totally, blindly in love with him. Blind is a good word to use. What did I know about love anyway? I realized that it wasn't the kind of love I thought it was. Not the kind where you could give up everything for that one person. Instead, I found myself willing to give up everything for this job."

"Kags, you're hopeless."

"Yeah, I'll remember that when I'm signing your paycheck."

Rin shook her head, not satisfied at all with the story. "No no no. Tell me about the two silver-haired single guys that got the free food."

"Silver hair _and_ single? Kagome…why do you keep me up here?"

"Hush," Kagome said with a grin. "One isn't single, the doctor. At least he wasn't when I knew him. And the other…"

"I'll call dibs on him." Rin giggled, sticking her tongue out at Jakotsu.

"So, why the free goods?" Jakotsu asked as he organized the clean glassware for the happy hour rush.

"Well…I'm not really sure." And that was the truth. Something in her food-filled brain told her to. "I felt like I had to."

Jakotsu beamed as he leaned forward invading her personal space. "Oh," he said, stretching it for as long as he could, "and what did you do wrong?"

"Nothing. Nothing. He was my doctor, my fertility doctor and the other guy is a lawyer, both working at the same clinic. I didn't do anything wrong."

"Deny it now. But you're guilty about something."

"I paid the bill. I did everything they asked of me. I have no guilt."

Jakotsu just shrugged his shoulders. "Rin, anything else happen?"

"Oh yeah. The snappy one asked about Kagome when I brought them the dessert."

"He…he did?" Kagome inquired with her young waitress friend, her back springing straight up.

"Oh…there is something our Kags isn't spilling." Jakotsu poked Kagome in the forehead.

"Kagome, what is it? Who is that guy exactly?" Rin turned around in her chair, showing only concern for her boss. "What did he do to you?"

"He didn't do anything, really. He is a great doctor and we were starting to become good friends. But, after my last rejection, seeing the physical proof as my attempt at motherhood was evident I just couldn't face him." Kagome looked sternly at Rin and then at Jakotsu. "Can you two keep a secret?"

"Between us girls? Sure," Jakotsu sincerely replied.

Kagome took a deep breath. "I was attracted to him. Maybe I still am. I haven't seen him since my graduation party. I couldn't see him when my pregnancy failed. I was afraid that I might seek out comfort from him, the kind beyond what he'd given me before."

"So, after you left this Hobo-guy, how come you didn't chase after the doctor?"

Kagome took a quick peek at Rin. "It was an important appointment. I'm not sure what came over me, but I was so happy that I hugged him. At that moment, a very gorgeous lady walked in and I realized the mistake I made, realized why he didn't hug me back. Rin, you saw him. He could have any woman he wants and he already did. I'm just some clumsy kid compared to her."

Kagome rested the side of her face onto the cool glass of the bar. Jakotsu and Rin both felt for her. It was apparent to them that Kagome held more than an attraction for this doctor. And she was still hurting over something about it. Guilt about causing the doctor problems, that kind of guilt, the kind of guilt that only Kagome would fret about after all of this time.

"In the end, I turned out to be like Hojo, consumed by work. No. Hojo wasn't like that. I'm…I'm happy with my life. This is what I wanted. Dwelling on the pass won't do me any good."

"Cheer up Kagome. If you don't find anyone, I'll be your life partner."

"No, I'll be your life partner," Rin squealed playing along with the joke. "And we'll live at the Shrine together."

Kagome lifted her head up off the glass. "Marry my mother then, since that's what you're both after."

"Are we that obvious?" Jakotsu asked as he cleaned Rin's empty glass. "It'll get better."

"For me or for you?" Kagome chuckled at her sudden pathetic state. In a way life worked its way out, giving her the job of her dreams. However, that sacrifice came with a hefty price; the price of a family. Oh well. What good was she to any man when she wasn't even able to get pregnant?

"You…you think this is the best for you?" Ring asked.

"Maybe. But I won't say it to anyone else." Kagome completely lifted her head up off the glass. "I figure that my past, everything I went through was for me to learn from so I'd get to a point in my life where I am completely confident in my decisions. And I am. I have no regrets."

Jakotsu rolled his eyes at the dramatics. "The most regretted statement ever uttered. Seriously Kags, you're what, barely an adult. You've got fifty years of life to live, at least, and you're content?"

"Yes. Is that bad?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "Don't really know. But it sounds like you're giving up."

"Giving up on what? I almost gave up this dream. I'm living this dream. It's become my reality. Anything else is just extra chocolate sprinkles."

"Is…is this what growing up is?" Rin asked, her own fears about life rising up in her thoughts.

"I guess. I'm sure it's different for everyone." Kagome could sense Rin's fear. She reached out and wrapped her arms around her. "I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just do what you feel is right and what makes you the happiest."

"Fortune cookie?"

"No, that comes from my mother." Kagome pushed herself up and away from the bar. "Enough of this. Time to get back to work. Oh, the chocolate reminded me that Valentine's Day is coming up. We'll have to make a special. And then the Chinese New Year, St. Patrick's Day and White Day."

"Whoa, slow down woman. One holiday at a time."

Kagome giggled as she pulled out her cell phone to access her calendar. "Okay, okay. But Valentine's Day means chocolate. I love chocolate. Chocolate desserts, chocolate drinks, maybe even chocolate candles…oh and chocolate fountains…"Kagome headed toward the spiral staircase leading down to the main floor to do her usual routine to prepare for the dinner hours.

Rin and Jakotsu were not convinced by Kagome's upbeat attitude about chocolates and dreams. Kagome just went from convincing herself that she was happy with Hojo right to convincing herself that she was all fine and dandy with the way her life was now. They'd known her for only sixth months, when Kagome hired them for the restaurant and they both had easily figured her out.

In sixth months, Kagome took the first Thursday of every month off to eat and gossip with her friends, all females. Jakostu knew that Kagome didn't beat that bush. Secondly, she lived, breathed and maybe even bathed this restaurant. It was what she was married to. A loveless, sexless, friendless marriage. It was not a whole of fun.

Sundays and Mondays, the two days off were the two days she went home to do laundry. It was like she was a college student all over again. But now that Jakotsu and Rin knew a little more about their boss, they could only come to one conclusion about her, and it pained them to even think it.

Kagome was a coward.

She was afraid of something. She was running away from something. But it if involved this doctor she was attracted to, the attached one, then all of this, her motivation to work as hard as she was, it was just her way of trying to move on. Crushes were hard to get over. Poor, poor Kagome.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's note:** Hey. I'm updating on time. Two cheers for working, or me being able to figure it all out. Not much to say, I'll just wait to see what you readers have to say about it. Maybe I screwed up, did this too soon (or for some of you, not soon enough). Just a few notes. The type of sake mention just describes how it is processed and the processing can determine the price. The sake I mentioned in this story is a real brand and it costs around $160 a bottle, but I can't remember the size of the bottle, but it's not very big. I think if you Google it, you can easily find the info on it. If you're interested. Also, _nashi_ is a Japanese pear. It looks and has a similar taste to American pears. Also, the Sapporo-style ramen is a popular style of ramen in the city of Sapporo, Japan on the island of Hokkaido. And for those of you that don't know, Hokkaido is the northernmost island of Japan that gets a lot of snow and it's really cold, so they'll spice their soup up with warm flavors.

Thanks to the reviewers (again, since I thank you in the replies). I like hearing what you have to say about this. So far I seem to be doing an okay job. And thanks to the readers that continue to come back and read this.

Have a good weekend.

roshully


	18. Chapter 18

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Eighteen Bandaids**

_Inuyasha…_

Kagome curled up on the couch in her decent sized manager's office, pulling the heavy blanket up and over her head. It was after one in the morning and the bar had just closed. It was sometimes a part of her routine to lock up the restaurant and bar according to the schedule she kept with the other employees. After closing up shop, she would sleep at the restaurant so she could get up in the morning, exercise, and shower and then work again. The trip to the Shrine was so time-consuming that she ended up just staying in her office.

Why did Sesshoumaru do that to her? Why did he bring Dr. Takahashi to her restaurant? She had specifically asked him not to bring him around. Luckily for her he didn't ask for an explanation. But he didn't seem to be the type to just forget a request like that. Nor did he seem to be the type to break an agreement. He was a lawyer after all.

She hadn't seen Dr. Takahashi since her graduation party. And she knew he was the one that left, though for the life of her, she couldn't figure out why. While she was thankful for the ice cream advice, she had the feeling he had been trying to tell her something, something difficult. First, he mentioned that she'd no longer be his patient, and then he shrugged off the wanting to be friends thing like…Kagome sniffled back the tears. He didn't want to be friends with her.

That, and the failed pregnancy, she had no reason to ever see him again. Kagome crouched into a tighter ball. She'd just get in the way. Closing her eyes, she willed back the tears, not wanting to spend another night crying herself to sleep.

Turning onto her back, she sighed as she stretched out on her back. She was just a child. A stupid, naïve little girl with a stupid crush on a male she couldn't have. Wasn't that how it always was? Whether it be an actor or a singer, it was a fantasy crush that could never be. And like all little girls, there'd be a day when she'd grow up. She knew she never really grew up, just grew…out. She grew out of love with Hojo and ended up here.

She was elated by being given this opportunity. Her portfolio was the physical manifestation of her dream. Her original plan was to have it graded, to graduate, and then box it up only to treasure it for always. Never did she think she'd get this far. Kagome was overly grateful to the school. It gave her something to really live for.

A yawn broke her from her fuzzy thoughts as she neared sleep. She hated to sleep as much as she needed it for she was constantly plagued by nightmares. Failed pregnancies, a failed business and of silver hair and dog ears. The restaurant was her excuse from pursuing a somewhat normal life, or at least that's what others thought. But to her, this was her real, normal life. Normal was overrated. What was normal anyways? Kagome was a career woman. She'd rather be that than the wife who couldn't give her husband children. That was grounds for a divorce. So, she would settle for this life instead.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Sango sat at her computer, typing up an analysis of this and that, recommendations, and even prescriptions for a patient of hers that needed some extra help with post-partum depression. Just as difficult as it was to work with women struggling to conceive, it was hard to watch those that felt as if the world was crashing down on them, suffocating, drowning and wondering why they didn't want the child they had spent so much time on trying to conceive. One time, she ordered a woman to the psychiatric ward for fear that she'd physically harm herself and her child.

And right about now, she was going to either commit herself or the man in her office. That's if she didn't kill him first.

The vein in her forehead throbbed as it grew until it was ready to burst the moment she couldn't take anymore of it. Slamming her hands down onto her desk, she had to yell, "Knock it off. You've been pacing in front of my desk now for the last 45 minutes. If you've got something to say, spill."

Her guest narrowed his eyes at her, but she felt no angry intent on his part. Something was on his mind and his pacing, in her office of all places, meant he really needed to talk, choosing her as his victim. Sango calmed down with several deep breaths. She was waiting for him to speak when he was ready, but 45 minutes was ridiculous.

"Pretend I'm not here then and start talking," she suggesedt as one means to get him started.

He sighed, but continued with his to and fro journey. "I want to see her again."

Sango was a little startled by his low voice. He actually spoke. Her attitude softened considerably when it became clear about exactly what was on his mind. She should've known that this was why he came to her. If it had to do with work, their conversation would already be over with. "So, that's it."

"I was dealin' just fine. But…I thought it was spring. The moment I saw her, it was all there again." Inuyasha sighed as his eyes dropped to the floor. Running his claws through his bangs, he sighed out a frustrated 'fuck'. Finally, he stopped pacing, turning to face her. "Can I see her?"

"You're asking me? Like permission?" Sango scoffed at the idea that _this_ Inuyasha, her boss, would ask _her_ permission to see Kagome, though she understood why. To Inuyasha, Sango was a pack-sister to Kagome. "I'm not going to tell you what you can or cannot do. Even if I could, you wouldn't listen."

"I rant out on her engagement," he vocally confessed.

"I know."

"I broke my promise. I couldn't get her pregnant."

"Inuyasha, this is a job, not something you are to make personal."

"I know that but…I did it anyway. I couldn't help it." Inuyasha resumed his pacing. "Kagome hates me."

"No, she doesn't," Sango replied, fairly sure he had just made a statement, one that she had to correct. "She only talked about you once."

Inuyasha knew Sango was being honest with him. Kagome didn't hate him. That was really good news. Yet, he still didn't know if he should go to see her. What would he say? What would Kagome say? What would Kagome do? It was this human uncertainty crap that kept him in his office and not seeking her out.

Sango leaned back into her chair. "Her restaurant has lunch hours form 11-2 and dinner hours are 5-10, Tuesday through Saturday. However, the bar is open from 2 in the afternoon to 1 in the morning those same days. Word is that she hangs out at the restaurant between 2 to 5 preparing for the dinner shift. It's quiet and slow at that time."

Inuyasha nodded. He didn't need any further explanation from her. This was her permission. Not as Kagome's friend, but as his as well. A blessing. Now, it was up to him and up to Kagome to see if anything were to happen between them. As soon as he gathered up his courage, he would visit her and attempt to tell her. Finally he could tell her that the feelings he had for her were real.

"Fine." Quickly, he turned and bolted out of her office. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he'd tell her. He picked tomorrow because today was Monday and he needed to figure out what to actually say. Nothing too strong or too showy for that would scare her off. No, he'd have to play it casually and only if things went his way, then he could tell her his true feelings.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"You asked to see me?"

"Yes, please. Have a seat." He waited until she sat down and was comfortable before he began. "There's something I wish to explain."

"Please, go ahead."

"About my brother, I apologize for bringing him here."

Kagome shook her head. "It's all right, really. I was just a bit…I was surprised, that's all."

"I do not understand why you refuse to see him."

"It's nothing he did."

"Are you sure? Inuyasha is normally the one at fault."

"No, I'm sure. But, can I ask you why you brought him here?"

"I don't see you unless you make yourself known to me. I assumed the risk was minimal. However I erred when I did not calculate his temper and obnoxious obsession with ramen to spoil it."

Kagome giggled. No matter how obnoxious his ramen obsession was, he was so cute about it. She just couldn't help it. There were a dozen questions she wanted to ask the taiyoukai about Dr. Takahashi, life, work and everything else.

"My brother is…curious about your well-being."

"Is that so?"

"As much as I may despise my brother for personal reasons, he may have some good traits."

"I'm aware of his good side as well as the bad." Kagome stood up ready to take her leave so Sesshoumaru could eat his lunch in peace. "It's not his traits that I have a problem with, but my own. Enjoy your meal."

Sesshoumaru glanced down at the meal set in front of him. Suddenly, he thought back to the time when he first met Kagome. In some strange way, it was he who initiated their first meeting by sending her that letter. Having never met her in person prior to the letter, he didn't know what kind of woman she was. Picking up his sandwich, he smirked. How quickly he found out.

**xxxxx-----flash back -----xxxxx**

Sesshoumaru sat behind his grand and expensive desk, reviewing contracts and research proposals. Some of the things he did at the clinic were outside the bounds of his job as the clinic's chief lawyer, but were within the bounds of his duty as the head of the board of directors. A knock on his door brought him out of the mundane work only for him to see his assistant.

"There's a Miss Higurashi here to see you."

He knew exactly who the woman was, but didn't have a reason for why she wanted to see him. A nod to his assistant prompted the toad to disappear only to re-emerge seconds later with a petite woman following him. Sesshoumaru stood up at her presence. Neither spoke a word until the assistant disappeared with the door clicking shut behind him.

The young woman stared at him, standing there like a trout out of water. He bowed to her, offering her a chair to sit down in. Shaking her head, she apologized, bowed back to him and took the offered seat.

"You're Dr. Takahashi's brother," she half-said, half-asked.

He nodded. "Older half-brother," he quickly explained. But he didn't want to discuss his younger brother. "How can I help you?"

Once the initial shock of the sibling connection wore off, the woman got down to business. "I have an odd proposition. Would you hear me out first? Please?"

She was unlike any other woman he had met. Both confident and afraid, the woman spoke calmly, freely, but he heard the desperation in her voice. "I want to continue with my treatments. I was told that if I could provide proof of my grandfather's blessing that you may reconsider ceasing my treatments."

Sesshoumaru nodded. "That has been brought to my attention."

He watched as the woman started to give into her emotions only to find a retreat that offered her enough computers to get through this. "After an intensive search of my grandfather's belongings, such proof does not exist."

He leaned back into his chair. "This creates a problem," he calmly spoke as he brought his fingertips together.

"I realize that. However, I was also told that another condition for continuing the treatments was that we would be required to sign a contract exempting the clinic from any liability if the treatments are a failure or even a success so that as an unmarried couple, we were to separate, we'd still be responsible for the fees as a couple despite those other problems."

Sesshoumaru didn't know what his brother had said to the woman, but she was very knowledgeable about her situation. "Is there a point to this?"

"Of course. I wouldn't want to waste your time or my time. I have a plan. I will sign a contract, myself, stating that I promise to pay all fees associated with the treatments and appointments we acquire here."

"You? Yourself?" He was surprised by this, though he didn't show it.

"Yes. I read that your clinic allows women to undergo the in-vitro procedure as an individual."

"Those are different circumstances."

"I really don't see much difference. A man donating his seed to a lesbian couple. Or a gay couple paying for a woman to give birth to their child. Their situation isn't really that different."

And he concurred with her. Basically, her situation, depending on the point of view was similar to the ones she described. Since she wasn't married, her status was the same as the lesbian woman, or the surrogate woman. He never thoroughly considered her situation as much as he should have.

"What about Mr. Akitoki? You plan to cover the costs that he has incurred?"

"Mr. Akitoki believes whole-heartedly in that blessing. It's almost too late now to back out of the treatments. His feelings about the blessing have nothing to do with this. Either way, someone has to pay for what we've done here. The sooner I can take care of it, the sooner I get put this behind me."

Either way, as long as at least one of them was responsible for paying, he didn't care who it was. This woman knew exactly what she was doing. If she wanted to bear the sole responsibility of paying for the treatments, who was he to stop her?

Turning to his computer, he opened up one of the blank contract forms and quickly entered in the information to this particular case. In a few minutes, his printer spat the contract out. His assistant was called in as a witness to the signing. The woman carefully read the contract over, making sure she was satisfied with the wording before committing to it. Reaching for the pen, she signed her name and then took a step back from the contract. It was done.

Sesshoumaru followed by signing his name. His assistant signed as the witness. The contract was now a legal binding document. The assistant left with the document to make a copy for Miss Higurashi to take with her. It was only when they were alone did she speak.

"I ask that Dr. Takahashi not know about this." Sesshoumaru cocked an eyebrow at the strange request. "there is not reason for him to know about it, right?"

"There is not," he replied. Something about her almost intimidated him. Almost. Maybe this wasn't intimidation, but something else. This human woman was hiding something.

"Good." The woman gathered her belongings. "Thank you," she said softly, sincerely while looking at him, but not directly into his eyes. Apparently she knew that anything bolder would issue a challenge. With all she had to do done, he watched her leave.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

It was from that short meeting that he learned about the kind of woman Kagome was. And her secret, that became clear when she continued to ask that he not know her whereabouts. During his visits to her restaurant, they would occasionally chat and that's when it dawned on him.

While Kagome had her reasons for not wanting to see his younger brother, they really had no firm ground to stand on. By scent alone he figured her out, her attraction to the hanyou. And word got around that Inuyasha may have had a crush on a pretty patient at the clinic. Normally, he wasn't one to run with the rumor mill, but a quick visit to Dr. Sango confirmed the rumor.

Not one to play matchmaker, he had no plans to set them up at all. Instead, he'd invited his brother to the restaurant and then would see if anything happened. Really, he just needed his brother to stop being so damned depressed all of the time. It was boring. Inuyasha refused to fight back on any issue making the hanyou appear more mature, which was really nothing more than a ruse to hide the fact that the hanyou was giving up. Even though he had no reason to help his brother out, Inuyasha was a damn good doctor and if the clinic was to survive and grow, he would need the old Inuyasha back.

"Is everything okay?"

Sesshoumaru looked up to see his waitress standing there waiting for some kind of answer. It was the same girl from his lunch with Inuyasha. "Everything is satisfactory."

The girl repulsed at his reply, but said nothing about it. "Great then. I'll be back to check up on you," she said cheerily.

He watched as she walked away, humming happily to herself some little song that belonged only to her. Never in his life had he met a female that confused him. She presented him with a challenge, one he was willing and ready to accept.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Like in Sango's office, he frantically paced outside the entrance to _KenSen_ in the frigid weather internally debating with his other voices about whether or not he should go inside. His youkai was all for it, though his human side was hesitant to visit her since it was her desire not to see him. But, he really wanted to see her. And he needed too. He needed to hear it from her, what her desires were.

With that decided he pushed open the doors and made his way into _KenSen_. He was immediately glad that he took Sango's advice about coming when the restaurant wasn't so busy. He didn't like crowds and didn't need an audience when he approached her.

"Oh, it's you."

Inuyasha found the waitress from the other day standing behind him. He turned to face her. "Is Kagome here?"

Rin was taken aback by his sincerity. Kagome was someone dear to him. Maybe Kagome had this guy figured out incorrectly. "Hold on for a sec. Let me check." Rin left Inuyasha to try and patiently wait. And in each passing second, his tiny amount of patience wore away as his nervousness grew. Was she going to turn him away?

Rin finally returned. "She's in her office right now. However, if you head up to the bar, you'll find her up there a little past two."

Inuyasha smirked at the young girl, grateful for her help. He followed her directions and made his way up the spiral staircase to enter the large bar. He was glad to also find this place lacking in customers, for his own reasons.

Lack of people meant he could sit anywhere he wanted. It didn't' matter where though. He found a booth next to a window. Sitting down, he took to watching the snow fall. This gave him a chance to really thing about what he wanted to say to her. What he could and should say to her.

Before he had a chance to really sort through the mess in his head, his nose caught her scent. Turning, he found her walking past the bar, chatting with the bartender before settling down at a table in the far corner. He wasn't in any position to just sit and watch her. He stood up, knowing it would either be now or never. For him, never was much too long.

Kagome sat down at the corner table she often sat in after the lunch shift to go over the paperwork, schedules and all the other business aspects of this job she managed. She was aware of the amount of work she would be required to invest into this, and faced it each day with vigor she never knew she had. Even though she wasn't in the kitchen, she loved it all. She was living the dream.

"Can I buy ya a drink?"

The pencil in her hand would've snapped if it wasn't one of those durable, thick mechanical pencils. She looked up, wide eyes looking at a smirking Dr. McHunky Hanyou, the one from her fantasies, even when she hadn't seen him for the past six months; he was still in her head. And now, he was in front of her, in person.

"Dr. Takahashi." She wasn't even sure if she had said his name out loud or not. Hesitatively she stood up, dropping the damaged pencil onto her stack of papers. "Uh…sit…sit down." She waited until he took the seat across from her before she sat back down. "What, uh, what brings you here?"

"I-I was surprised to see you," Inuyasha started, not knowing what to say to her. "How are you doing?"

"Uh, good. Busy." She too didn't know what to say to him as she never expected to see him again.

"This is yours?"

"Yeah. Kinda. The culinary school I graduated from approved funding to open a restaurant for training. This is my portfolio. They were really impressed with it, so they offered it to me."

He nodded along, closely paying attention to her and thinking about what to say next. He had to be careful, and cool. "It's nice. Food's good."

Kagome giggled that giggle he adored in private. "You haven't eaten anything off the menu."

"Sorry," he sheepishly replied.

"Are you hungry?"

"Uh…"

"Jakotsu!" The bartender wandered over to the table, blatantly checking out Kagome's silver-haired friend. He was cute and rough looking, the perfect kind of man for him. "Could you have Shippo make something, uh, wait…tonight's special, yeah. Two dinner specials."

"Anything else hon?"

"A glass of merlot."

Jakotsu turned to Inuyasha and waited for him to make a drink request. "Water." The bartender nodded and went his way. Inuyasha glanced over at Kagome. "Merlot?"

"I think I forgot to add a wine to tonight's special. Need to test it out. And I can since…"Kagome paused when she realized who she was talking to and what about. She vividly remembered that night she had invited him and he reprimanded her about the use of brandy for her flaming technique. "Well, some restrictions on my lifestyle have been lifted."

"Right." Inuyasha struggled to find something to say next. She was already uncomfortable with his presence, though on the outside, he couldn't tell. "I'm…I'm glad things are good for you. The way you bailed…well, it had me worried."

"You were…worried?"

"Shit, you didn't show up for the test, didn't call or anything. I went to your apartment to already find you gone. No one knew or would tell me anything about you."

"I didn't know," she whispered suddenly feeling guilty about her actions so many months ago.

"Didn't know what?"

"That you cared."

"Why wouldn't I? I thought we were friends."

"Yes, but-"Kagome halted the conversation when Jakotsu brought over their drinks for them.

"Shippo says no problemo. They wanna test it out first anyways since it's a new recipe you dumped on them." Jaktosu let the two alone since it looked like they were having a personal conversation, or maybe that guy was looking for a job.

Once Jakotsu was gone, Kagome reached out for her glass, depending on it to get her through this. She wasn't one to depend on alcohol to calm her nerves, but today was different.

"But…what…?"

"I thought you had changed your mind about that, our friendship."

"What made you come up with that fuckin' ridiculous conclusion?"

"You," she stated matter-of-factly though her eyes failed to meet his. Inuyasha opened his mouth, but quickly shut it so he could hear her reasoning. Kagome lifted up the glass, stared at it, the contents, and then swirled around the mulberry colored liquid. "When you stormed out of my apartment at the graduation party."

"Ka…gome…"

"After that…well…I really had no reason to go back to the clinic. I figured why go if you," Kagome paused as she tried to get her words right. She took a sip of her merlot, letting the heavy berry liquid run down her drying throat. "You made it obvious that _you_ didn't want to see me again."

"It's okay," she continued. Inuyasha didn't get a chance to reply as food was delivered to their table. "Looks great Shippo. I'll let you know how it tastes later, okay?" The fox demon gave Kagome a quick salute before dashing off. "It's Fried Curried Lamb Rolls," Kagome explained as to what it was they were eating.

"Kagome…I never meant for you to think that." Inuyasha stared at his food, avoiding her gaze until he said what he needed to. "I was…I don't fuckin' know…sad…jealous…angry…"

"Jealous?"

"Maybe." He chuckled at his own reply. "Kagome…" He looked up at her, catching her stuffing a piece of the dim-sum filled wrap into her mouth. He shook his head, unable to once again say the words he wanted to say to her. He was beginning to think that maybe this was a bad idea. "Sorry."

"About what?"

"Making you think that I hated you or something when…when all I did was have this crush on you."

"Huh?"

"I liked you Kagome. More than I should have." He tossed the napkin down onto the table, not really hungry anymore. "I really don't mean to do this to you. I didn't come here to make you feel bad about anything." Figuring he had said too much too soon, he decided it was just best for him and for her to leave before things could actually get any worse. Standing up, he reached into his pocket to pull out his wallet. "I'll just go." He pulled out what he believed to be enough cash to cover their food and tossed it onto the table.

"Dr. Takahashi," Kagome desperately called out. He turned around waiting for her to say something. "Eh, perhaps it would be better if I made some ramen."

"What?"

"I was wrong, about the being friends. Since I know…uh, I'm saying this all wrong. I'd still like to be, friends, if you still want to…"

"But, you told Sango…"

"I know what I told Sango, Miroku, my friends, your brother, even my mother. I told myself the same thing. I did think that you didn't like me at all, or that I was somehow this huge burden to you. So I told everyone that I had my own reasons, trying to convince myself that I was in control when in fact, June was a horrible month for me. And then July, August…"

"Don't do this to be nice."

"I'm not. You know…when I discovered that the in-vitro failed, I felt more alone and afraid than during any of the other failures and I…I really, _really_ wanted to see you. You were Hojo's idea. I didn't think I could go through it again, but you…"Kagome softly laughed at what she was about to say next. "You were right, about Hojo and his support. _You_ were my support."

"Keh," he softly said though his inner youkai was doing a victory dance.

_My youkai can dance?_

"Please, stay. If you want…Maybe we can start over or something."

"Okay." There was tugging on his ears to obey her request. "But, you don't have to make me ramen."

"Are you sure?" she lightly asked as he sat back down. "You were demanding it quite forcefully last week."

"This place should serve it."

"Well, if I explained to you why I don't serve it, I'd just inflate your ego to the point of bursting."

"Who do fuckin' think I am, Miroku?"

"I definitely don't think that. Besides, he has Sango to keep him in line."

"He's not doing a good job at keeping his eyes and hands only on her."

"No, he's not. But, I will give him credit, he has tried. The first week we opened, Miroku tried to be supportive by coming in everyday. We spent a lot of money replacing trays that were broken over his head. Well, now we know better as all of our trays are reinforced with metal. Sango's idea."

"Does he still get bonked?"

"Of course. It's gotten to the point where we now have either me or a male staff member wait on him."

The conversation continued safely around the Miroku-Sango topic as they finished their meal. Kagome did most of the talking, animatedly describing past events she shared with his friends. He was saddened that he had missed being a part of those memories of theirs, but overall, was glad that starting now, they could begin as friends again. Start out as friends…

"Thanks for the food. It wasn't all that bad."

"But it wasn't ramen."

"Yeah."

"Do you need to head back to your office?"

"Probably."

Kagome stood up just as Inuyasha was, her heart thundering loudly in her chest. She had forgotten was it felt like to be in his presence, the pounding heart, the knotted stomach and the constant gulping. She slid her hands behind her back to keep him from seeing her fidgety hands.

"I'm really glad you came."

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders, trying to play it cool. "Yeah, me too."

"Uh, so….yeah. I guess I'll see you later."

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

"Can I see you tomorrow?"

"Can you?" she teased. "Yeah, this time is good."

"Lunch then."

"Ramen?"

"Of course. I'm still going to get my ramen payments out of you somehow."

"Sure you are. Take care. Oh, and stay warm out there Dr. Takahashi."

"I told you before, it's Inuyasha."

Kagome blushed when he said that. "Inuyasha," she breathed his name out for the first time. Her skin tingled saying it out loud like that.

"Later."

"Bye." Kagome sauntered over to the bar, keeping a keen eye on Inuyasha's body as he headed to and down the stairs. Once he had disappeared from her sight, she let out a sigh and slipped onto one of the barstools.

"Puh-lease tell me he wants a bartending job. Puh-lease tell me you are so going to hire that hottie. Puh-lease tell me he's totally single. Please. Please. Please."

Kagome laughed a really good laugh for the first time since she first met the hanyou. "No's all around. Sorry."

"Ugh! All the good ones are straight or taken."

"We say the same thing, well, change straight to gay, but same dilemma."

"So, who is he?"

"That's Dr. Takahashi. You know, the one I told you and Rin about. The ramen guy."

"Well, that explains a lot. He's fuckin' hot. He's fuckable too. He confuses me."

"Ah, it's okay. At least you're not his friend. It's so hard to just be a friend when you're attracted to him."

"I s'pose you're right doll. But, a girl can always fantasize, right?"

Kagome blushed. "Every night," she replied wishfully. "Sometimes, it's all we got."

"Introduce me to him."

"Wha…why?"

"So I can hear more of his voice. A fantasy isn't complete without a voice, ya know, for begging and moaning and…he's a howler."

"Oh give it a rest. Pull out some extra bottles of merlot."

"Kaggie…" Jakotsu whined out.

"It goes with the lamb," she hollered at him as she returned to her table to gather her papers to take back downstairs while stopping by to tell Shippo that the dinner was fine.

"You're not fun."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Each day after that, Inuyasha showed up at the closing of the lunch hour to meet up with Kagome. Together, they shared a lunch of that night's dinner special so the chefs could practice and ready what they needed for the night. Kagome noticed that the dinner hour went smoother because of it. She was able to select a wine or sake to taste and the customers were grateful when the staff could serve them that perfect drink to compliment the dinner.

It wasn't like she was using Inuyasha as an excuse to eat food or to have a few drinks just so she could improve the restaurant. They talked. Well, she did most of the talking, mostly about the restaurant. Both stayed cleared of the whole pregnancy issue and the engagement she declined. At least for now. Right now, it was about catching up and rekindling the friendship they were starting.

Kagome had stopped asking him if the food was delicious or not. When he ate, he remained quiet, focusing only on the food. Instead, Kagome just watched him, timing him and talking. The faster he finished his food, the better it must taste and she used that as her guide.

Inuyasha brought work with him to do. Kagome did her stuff and he did his, dragging out the time they could spend together. Saori had been instructed to keep the two to four o'clock hour block free unless it was for a procedure and even then, she was told to schedule it for Mondays if possible. The two worked quietly, Jakotsu and Rin watching them as they shared jokes about the cute friends.

This went on for days that turned into a couple of weeks. The friends grew close, but neither would say anything to the other about the attraction they shared. Everyone else could see it. Everyone else commented on it behind Inuyasha and Kagome's backs. Rin and Jakotsu thought about cornering their manager and pry the details from her. Miroku and Sango were thinking about doing the same thing to their boss.

The rush of Valentine's Day passed and neither made a move. Kagome still believed that Inuyasha and the pretty woman were still together. It was why she didn't act on her feelings. At least they were friends. That was the most she could hope for. She could value the lunch time she shared with him four days a week.

Inuyasha, on the other hand, thought of every possible way he could finally ask her out. And everything he thought he could do it, when he had that chance, his nerves, everything he depended on for strength failed him. He'd returned from those precious lunches with her pissed off at everyone and everything only to go to bed at night completely talking into finally saying something to her. Waking up, he was ready to go. But, somewhere during the middle of lunch, lost in her eyes or her smile, perhaps both, he just couldn't do it.

As the days turned into weeks, his anger only increased. He hadn't started in on the patients, yet, but Miroku and Sango noticed. It reminded them of those days as he waited for Kagome's pregnancy test results; the frazzled nerves, bags under his eyes and a attitude more temperamental than usual. Something had to be done right away.

Time for an intervention.

They waited until he was alone in his office at the end of the day, right before he was ready to leave. It would be the best time as there would be mostly employees and few patients around the clinic in case something did happen.

"Inuaysha."

"No."

Miroku and Sango just rolled their eyes. That's how it was going to be. Miroku politely cleared his throat as he had a speech somewhat prepared. "Please, listen." He wasn't asking, he was advising. Inuyasha didn't make an attempt for a rebuttal, so Miroku took that as his cue to continue.

"Just…just ask her out already." Some speech that was. But the hanyou wouldn't listen to pretty words.

"What if she says no?"

"Then at least you'll hear it from her own mouth and will stop second guessing yourself," the gynecologist replied.

"I don't think she will," Sango added, putting her input in to help both of her friends.

"You know something Sango?" Miroku questioned Sango's statement.

"Not really. I've gotten to know her pretty well thought. She's ready to start dating. We all want to see her and you have a turn at happiness."

"What Sango said, "Miroku replied, agreeing with Sango. Sometimes, Sango, with all of her psychological training, had an advantage to dispensing useful advice. "This moping around of yours has the whole floor, the whole clinic, down in the dumps. Be the man, er, be the hanyou that you are, the one we know."

Was Miroku challenging him? Damn. He couldn't turn down a challenge. That got him in a lot of trouble in school. Kids were always daring him to do this or that. It wasn't about gaining friends or trying to be cool, it was about proving his worth. And he could prove a deeper worth by being honest with Kagome and himself.

"We'll just leave you to think about it. Let's go Miroku."

"Right behind you Sango."

"One meter…"

"I know. I know. Gotta grow longer arms."

"I heard that…"

Inuyasha didn't feel like time was running out, but instead, he was losing time he could be spending with Kagome. Tomorrow. Tomorrow would be the day.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's note:** Yeah, I know, I know, short chapter. Sorry. And I totally apologize for any spelling/grammar errors you spot. I kinda rushed on the typing with this so I could get it posted sometime by my Friday. I'm on Pacific time. My inbox was flooded with review notifications, but I think I got to most to them as quickly as possible. I did get a few PM and I finally got those. I don't know if I got all of them yet. You might try again if you sent something to me and I didn't get it.

A little background info on Sesshoumaru and Kagome's meeting and how he ended up coming to the restaurant and stuff. There might be a few more flashbacks as I go back and mention stuff that happened during the six months. Don't know for sure yet, but just a heads up. Some people are into flashbacks and others aren't.

I don't think there's anything I need to really explain. No medical lingo or anything complicated like that that I need to go through.

Thanks for the reviews. And thanks to the readers for reading. I'm really glad that you are all enjoying this. I'm doing everything I can to stay on top of the story even though this new job is killing me (at least my feet right now).

Have a good weekend everyone.

roshully


	19. Chapter 19

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter NineteenFire and Ice**

Tomorrow was today. Kagome was in the kitchen, going over the dinner special with the dinner shift chefs. They were to prepare a ginger-garlic soy sauce for a filet mignon stir-fry that Kagome was releasing to an unsuspecting crowd. She was a perfectionist when it came to the meals. The specials were not menu items, so the chefs had little practice with them. Inuyasha would be arriving soon for lunch and everyone needed to be on top of their kitchen duties.

"Is this the sauce?" Kagome asked as she dipped her finger into the syrupy substance cooling in a bottle. She stuck her tongue out, tasting the sticky sauce.

Shippo bounced over, taking on saucier duties this month. "Yeah, I made it this morning to give it time to get the right consistency."

"It's good. You might want to make some extra. Not only to use it as the stir fry sauce, but as a topping to the crispy rice cakes. Rice cakes can get sorta dry and bland tasting. The sauce will add a little 'oomph' to it. You see what I'm saying?"

All the chefs nodded as they went through the rest of the list of things they needed to address. The vegetables for the special were stocked up, as well as extra filet mignons were set aside for easy access. Kagome had Polaroid pictures available to them so that the chefs had an idea about how to present the food as well.

"Kagome."

Kagome spun around, momentarily losing her bearings inside the kitchen as she searched out for the voice that called her name. "Oh, Rin, there you are. What is it?"

"Inuyasha is here. Want me to send him upstairs?"

"Yes. Tell him I'll be up there in a minute or two. Maybe three."

Rin left with a devilishly large grin on her face. Everyone was doing a good job so far at keeping Kagome in the dark about the little betting pool on when her and this mysterious and handsome Inuyasha-fellow were going to finally hook up. A calendar was hidden away in the employee room marked the names of those who had placed bets and the day they betted on. Rin had her fingers crossed, hoping she would win the large amount of money in the pool so she could spend it on something special.

Kagome finished with the cooks, trying not to rush too much. Now that Inuyasha was here, they could do a trial run of the dinner. Running into her office, Kagome fixed her outfit, tugging down the legs of her form-fitting trousers and checking over her black cotton blouse for any food stains. She fluffed her hair up to make it look like it had some volume to it. The water at the gym wasn't the best for daily showering. Grabbing her papers, she hurried up the stairs and into the bar to find Inuyasha sitting at their usual table.

"Hey," she said, smiling at him as she dropped her work onto the table before sitting down.

"Hey," he replied back, grinning back at her as she took her seat. "Busy?"

"Uh, a little. It's Friday, so it'll be a busy night tonight. Can't have anything less than perfect."

"Keh, not possible."

"We try here. But, that's why you're here." Kagome giggled at the hanyou she had teased. They were at a point in their friendship where they could comfortably tease each other.

"It's free, isn't it?"

"For you…For me, it's work." She picked up a computer printout of last week's expenditures and earnings.

"Is it always about work with you?"

"Sometimes, not all of the time. However, I remember a certain doctor of mine saying about the same thing."

"Feh," he quickly said, brushing off her comment. He said that six months ago when he had no life. But he was working on changing that, trying to find a hobby he might enjoy.

Rin served them the stir-fried filet mignon with crispy rice cake pieces in the sauce Shippo had prepared earlier. Jakotsu paired the dish with a cabernet sauvignon figuring its oaky flavor would bring out the flavor of the mignon. Kagome agreed with his decision but was worried that it wouldn't match the stir-fry sauce. There was only one way to find out.

Lunch was quiet, as usual, for the two of them too the time to comfortably eat and work on what they had brought with them. Jakotsu and Rin had fun watching the two look at the other, blush, and then quickly glance back down at their food not wanting to be caught.

Inuyasha figured the best time to ask was now, as their lunch was starting to wind down.

"Hey, Kagome…"he began so he could get her attention.

"Yeah," she answered not looking up from her paperwork.

"Do you…" Nerves. Where were his damn nerves? "Do you ever take time off?"

"I do have Sunday and Mondays off, but I usually have meetings on Mondays. And my mom called dibs on Sundays." Kagome laughed at the idea of having her mother scheduled into her week.

"And I thought I was bad." Now. He had to do it now. "I…I was thinking-"

"Kagome." Rin hollered out from her place by the bar.

_Goddamn…_

"Uh, yeah, what is it?" Kagome called back. It seemed that Inuyasha had something to say to her.

"You have a phone call."

She was being interrupted because of that. "Take a message." Kagome sighed. "Wait, did they say who they were?"

"Someone by the name of Sakai-san."

"Sakai-san?!" Kagome jumped out of her chair, her eyes wide in panic. "Why didn't you say so sooner?" Kagome started to run toward the stairs, stopped and then skidded back to Inuyasha. "I'll be right back. Please wait here until I return, okay?"

"Whatever."

Kagome ran off with Rin right behind her, both girls heading into Kagome's office. "Hello, this is Kagome," she answered calmly into the phone. "Uh-huh. Oh, are they? Okay. Send the syllabus either by fax or email. Oh, that's fine too. I won't be able to do anything about it until Monday. Is that okay? Great. Yeah, Shippo prepared a batch this morning and will make another one before dinner. We'll let you know. Okay. You have a good day."

Kagome hung up the phone. Standing up, Kagome readjusted her trousers before heading back up to the bar, Rin still following behind her. "Rin, Chef Sakai's assistant will be dropping off a file for me."

"Okay." Rin reached out and stopped Kagome. "Eh, Kagome…"

"Yes?"

"When are you going to ask Inuyasha out? It's been like three weeks or something and…It's like…well, he's begging like a dog."

"Rin, that's not nice. He's my friend."

"And…what? You can't date friends? You can't be friends to date?"

"Not that, but…You listen to some music from the US, right?" Rin nodded her head not sure where Kagome was going with this, but she'd follow. "There's a line in this song by Alanis Morisette that goes 'it's like meeting the man of your dreams, then meeting his beautiful wife'. It's odd how that song was on the radio in the kitchen the other day when I was thinking about him."

"That can't be true."

Kagome shrugged her shoulders. "Well, what can you do, huh?" Kagome give Rin a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about me so much, okay? Ah, I better get back to him before he really makes Jakotsu into a girl." Rin was too stunned to say anything and could only watch as Kagome hurried away up the stairs, giggling at her own joke.

"Sorry."

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders at her appearance. "Keh."

"You were starting to say something…"Kagome sat back down in her chair.

"It was nothing."

"Oh, well, my boss called. He's so surreal, and scary."

"Sakai…wait, _that_ Chef Sakai?"

"Yeah. He's so….he's really nice, but…he's a master."

Inuyasha was worried there for a moment, quickly jumping to the conclusion that this Sakai-person was of some other relation to Kagome. Now that he knew, he could go through with it. Now. It had to be now.

"Kag-"

"Kagome!" Rin yelled out again.

Inuyasha was at the point where he was going to rip that girl's throat out for all of her dam interruptions. He was ready now, he could do this. Hell, he wanted to do this.

"What Rin?"

"Delivery truck needs your signature."

"What…" Kagome stood up, wondering what this was all about. "This is…" Kagome stopped as Inuyasha was now standing next to her, his clawed hand wrapped tightly around her upper arm. Kagome glanced down at his hand and then back up to his eyes. "Inu…"

"Go out with me. Tomorrow night."

Kagome's eyes went wide only when the words registered correctly in her brain. Was he…no…but…was this real? She turned to face him head on. "But…"

Inuyasha pulled his hand away from her feeling utterly defeated. "Fine." It was stupid of him to think she'd say yes to him in the first place.

"But…"she repeated before gulping.

"But what?" he snapped at her, angry at himself for…for being stupid, mostly.

Kagome relaxed, a smile growing on her delicate face. "Time?"

"Huh? The time?" He started to reach into his pocket to fish out his cell phone. Kagome stopped him, her hand lingering on his arm.

"Not now. I meant, what time, tomorrow night?"

"Oh, uh…six, I guess."

"Six?"

"Yeah."

"'Kay, six then. You remember how to get to the Shrine?"

"Sure."

"I'll be waiting then. Are you…are you heading out now?"

"Yeah, I got some late afternoon appointments."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow."

"Trying to get rid of me already?"

"What? No. Why?"

"I"ll walk ya down."

"O-okay," she said, chuckling at the sudden turn of events in her life. How did this happen? Her mind was overwhelmed with so much stuff, too much. She couldn't even think straight. Inuyasha said his goodbyes and then Rin dragged a dazed Kagome into the kitchen to sign for the delivery. Was this for real?

Somehow, she made it her way back up to the bar to collect her paperwork and head back down to her office, sitting at her desk, but not working. For sure she thought he was involved in a relationship. Something must've happened. If she knew that…well, it was too late now, but not really. He asked her out.

He asked her out…on a date.

A real date.

'_Oh my god_!' she screamed in her head. That meant clothing, hair, makeup, and…and…She also needed someone to be on duty as an assistant manager tomorrow night. There was so much to do. First things first, she needed to find someone to cover for her tomorrow night or she'd have to cancel.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Mama!"

"Kagome-dear, what is it?"

"Skirt, pants or dress?"

"I'm not sure, but I may remind you that it's freezing temperatures out there. However you decide to dress, wear a warm coat, and scar, and a hat too."

"Thanks mama, that didn't help me out at all. Ugh! I don't know what to wear. He didn't say anything about where we are going. I mean, what if I over dress, or under dress? And I can't do my hair or pick out my shoes until I know what to wear. Mama."

Kagome, relax. Here, have some tea. I doubt Inuyasha is going to care if you over dress or even under dress. Let's see what you have stuffed in this closet of yours. I would suggest a nice warm color, like purple or burgundy. Or even black with a splash of color."

"Have you been reading my magazines again?"

"As hard as it is to imagine, I was fashion-saavy once upon a time."

"Only because the things you wore as a child are back in style."

"Kagome, when did you get this dress?"

"Oh, that. Uh, for the opening of the restaurant. All of the investors, media, chefs, guests, they all came for that."

"Did you wear that plum-colored dress for that?"

"Yeah. Ayame suggested it since it matched the décor of the restaurant without blending in. Her and her color coding."

"Then you can war this. And I'm sure I can safely assume you already have the shoes to match."

"I do, but… I don't know."

"What's wrong?"

"It's so…sparkly. It might be too much."

"Nonsense. You put this one now. It's almost 5:30."

"I'm supposed to be late. It's a rule or something."

"Somehow I get the impression that Inuyasha isn't too keen on tardiness. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

"Thanks mama."

Kagome held up the teal colored dress, admiring it for a moment before laying it out on the bed. She had to do the rest of her makeup and hair. Time was running out and without her female entourage to fuss over her hair, she did the simple task of just putting it up in rollers as she dabbed on some teal eye shadow and mascara. Digging through her jewelry box, she pulled out the earrings and bracelet she purchased to go along with the dress. She quickly yanked the rollers out, ran her fingers through the soft curls and finished it with a quick spritz of hairspray.

Mama Higurashi hummed quietly to herself as she tossed a few logs onto the fire to keep the living room toasty warm for an evening alone while Kagome went out on her date. She was glad, and even relieved, that Kagome was re-entering the dating scene. It wouldn't be fair to Kagome to be all-consumed by that restaurant and not get a chance at other aspects of life. And with Inuyasha.

She would admit that she liked Inuyasha right away. He had this way with Kagome that no other male had. And though he was dominate and a bit rude, he cared too, as she remembered how he somehow got her into his vehicle without too much of a hassle. But there was something else about him, though she just couldn't figure out exactly what that was.

_Knockknock_

"Coming," she sang out, quickly making her way to the door as she didn't want him to wait too long in the frigid air. She popped open the door and moved aside to let her guest inside. "Hurry," she uttered, not wanting the icy draft inside the home. "How are you Inuyasha?"

"Fine," he said as he shook off the bit of cold he had.

"It's been a while, but you look just wonderful. Kagome will be down in a minute. I think she intends to make this date official by being late."

"Better not. I'll march up there and drag her ass down."

Mama Higurashi chuckled. "I know and I told her that. How is work?"

"Good. We're adding a nutrition wing to the clinic because of some reports that've come out in some journals connecting weight with conception."

"Sounds like something you and Kagome can talk about during dinner. She still keeps up with that, wanting the food at the restaurant to be as healthy as it can be."

"Thanks."

"Do you have reservations somewhere?"

"Kinda."

"Well, let's get her down here then. She's probably just up there pacing." Mama Higurashi hurried over to the bottom of the stairs, looking up. "Kagome, your date is here."

"Give…me…a second. Could you find my coat?"

"The wool one?"

"Yeah, the warm one."

Mama Higurashi made her way over to the closet by the door, searching for Kagome's nice wool jacket and slipping it carefully off of the hanger. Closing the closet door, Mama Higurashi made her way over to Inuyasha, handing him the coat. "I'll be in the kitchen. Have a good time tonight." She quickly left alone a slightly stunned Inuyasha as he waited for Kagome.

His nose caught her coming down the stairs before he could even see her. Closing his eyes, he deeply inhaled her scent, trying to find a name for it. It was really the essence of Kagome, but the scent held promises, and dreams. That's what it….that's what he'd call her distinct smell…his garden of dreams. He could picture a meadow of flowing bergamot trees, lilies and rose with Kagome sitting in the middle in the soft green grass.

Opening his eyes allowed him his first glimpse at her. _Wow_, his human side whispered out. His demon side whistled. Her tiny feet were cradled in teal heels that laced up her smooth, muscular ankles. On the back of the heels were tiny bows bouncing with each step down the stairs. And then her dress…he was stunned.

The skirt had what looked like to be feathers, no, not feathers, but more like petals, or strips of leaves. With every step, the petals would part, exposing more leg. _Oh…her legs…_The fantasies he had about those legs. As she descended further down the stairs, the rest of the dress was revealed to him. A v-neck halter hugged her breasts in a silky teal top spotted with tiny reflective black beads. Lastly, he could see that she left her hair down.

_Good,_ he thought, _because if it was up, I'd make her take it down._

Taking her final step off the bottom stair, Kagome fluffed out the bottom of the dress before looking up to find a gawking hanyou standing near the door.

Blushing, she looked away, pretending to fix something else with her dress. Turning her head ever so slightly, she peeked at him to check out his clothing. It wasn't much of a change from his work attire, black loafers with loose fitting black slacks. But really grabbed her attention was his shirt. It was this rich, deep eggplant color that made his amber eyes ferociously glow like two tiny suns. She was completely enchanted by them.

"Hey," he croaked out when he finally made it back to reality.

"Hi," she replied, blushing as her eyes glanced down to the floor.

"You look…" There was no word.

"Is it too much?" She quickly questioned as her mind was already thinking she was overdressed. "I-I-I can go and change…"

"No," he said sternly as he took a couple of steps towards her. "No," he softly repeated. "It's perfect. You look perfect."

"Really?" she breathed out, smiling. She examined her dress over once again, just in case.

"Keh," he mumbled as he walked over to her. "Ready?"

"I think so." She lifted up her hand, checking the contents of the teal clutch for all necessary items: ID card, money, keys, cell phone, lip gloss and mints. Yep, all there. "Yeah, I am."

He held up her coat and helped her slip into it. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at him, causing him to blush and to release a whispered 'keh' to hide that blush. Kagome buttoned up the thick material all the way up to her neck. Reaching into her pockets, she pulled out the black leather gloves and slipped them on.

"Okay mama, we're leaving," she yelled to wherever her mother decided to hide.

"All right. I'll leave the porch light on. You two go out and have fun."

"Okay." Kagome yelled back. She turned to Inuyasha and said, "Let's go."

Inuyasha nodded. He placed his hand on the small of her back, adding a small amount of pressure to get her to walk forward. As soon as they got to the door, he did the gentleman-like act and opened it up for her, quickly rushing her out so he could close it right behind him. Mama Higurashi worked hard to keep that place warm.

Outside, he wrapped an arm around her petite waist to steady her as she walked on the cobbled ground in high heels. Normally he would rag on her about choosing to wear useless heels, but how could he complain when he was able to hold her like this, so close.

They headed toward the steps quietly as they huffed visible puffs of clouds into the night. Inuyasha stopped, halting Kagome's progress forward. She looked up at him, confused as to why he stopped.

"Inu-" she started to say, but was immediately silenced as his lips brushed along hers. Her eyes went wide at the sudden and shocking act. Inuyasha pulled her up flush against his body, wrapping an arm around her waist locking her against him and his other hand snaking up her back, his clawed hand digging in the curly mass of her hair.

Kagome sucked in the cool air that existed between the tiny gap of their lips. She closed her eyes as she felt his warm breath panting onto her lips, sending shivers of warmth coursing along her skin. She hugged her arms around him, seeking more warmth, more contact with his body. He froze her and warmed her at the same time.

Inuyasha wanted a better taste as the brushing of his lips across her soft ones was nothing more than a teasing appetizer. He leaned in again, quickly filling in the gap and pressing his lips against hers. They were soft, moist and tasted so sweet. More, he wanted to taste more. He timidly slipped his tongue out, running it over her lips, tasting more of her and her fruity lip gloss, begging for another taste, another tease.

Kagome didn't know what to do. She didn't know exactly…but she did. She'd seen kisses like this in the movies all of the time. She was scared though, or nervous. Nope, she was both. What if she wasn't good enough? It didn't help that her heart was racing and that her stomach decided to try out for gymnastics. _Just do it_, she commanded herself. She liked him, so, this was something she could do.

She slowly parted her lips, granting him access to her first open-mouth kiss. He dipped his tongue into her mouth, almost moaning at this taste of her. There was no battle for dominance, just more of a gentle exploration of her mouth. It was good, and just so soft. His mind and his sense imprinted her taste, her scent as he gently kissed her moist lips. The kiss ignited something in Kagome she had never felt before. It was new and exciting and it made her curious. She wanted to explore it, to see where this fire would lead her.

The feel of his hands in her hair, the way he took control gave her some comfort that she was maybe doing something right. Her hands clutched tightly onto his leather jacket as the fire burned away her ability to stand up straight and think coherently. It wasn't a vigorous kiss, but it held the same amount of intensity as well as promise. That perhaps maybe, maybe this was what it was supposed to be like after all.

Reluctantly, he pulled away before opening his eyes to look at her. Her kiss was dangerous and he was afraid of losing control. An intoxicated hanyou would not make for a good dinner date, not right now.

_Did she accept my kiss?_

Kagome opened her eyes, the stormy eyes fogged over from the experience, to look at him, her mouth still parted from the kiss as she panted to regain the breath he stole from her. Her eyes searched his, searched for a reason. But did he really need one?

"I wanted to do that the moment I first saw you," he confessed. It was so out of character for him to be so open with anyone, but Kagome wasn't just anyone. She was different. "But, if I totally fuck up this date, at least I get something out of it." He pulled away some more, releasing his hand from her curly net of hair and brushed his hand gently across her blushing cheek.

Her lips turned upward in a smile. "Really?" The first part was kinda sweet, the second part, well, that was just Inuyasha. And though she didn't know him as well as Sango or Miroku, she was comforted by the fact that he wasn't going to change anything about him for her.

"Keh, we better go." He rushed her along to avoid confirming what he accidentally confessed. They went slowly and carefully down the steps as ice clung to the tiny imperfections of the smooth stone. Though he wouldn't mind catching her if she did slip.

Kagome froze in her tracks as they made it to the bottom of the stone steps. "Is that…"

"You don't like cars," he casually replied back to her unfinished question.

"But that's…" She forced herself to blink a couple of times, wondering if the could create mirages like the heat could. "That's a…"and when she found the right words, she blurted them out. "That's a carriage with a horse."

"Yeah, now get in before his balls freeze off."

The driver of the carriage turned slightly to acknowledge the couple. "It's a mare."

"What?"

"I said it's a mare sir. A female."

Inuyasha just smirked. "I wasn't talking about the horse."

"Right sir."

"Get your ass in there so we can eat." He took a hold of Kagome's arm and helped her up inside the plush red velvet interior of the carriage. He joined her on the thick seat, pulling the blanket so that it covered both of them up. Once they were comfortably seated, the driver snapped the reins and the horse took off in a smooth trot.

"There is warm coffee and tea if you wish," the elderly male driver calmly spoke as the Clydesdale horse snorted as she headed down the frozen and empty streets.

"Want anything?"

"Tea would be nice."

Inuyasha nodded at her request, reaching over across from where they sat. There were two thermoses, one labeled '_ocha_' and the other labeled '_koohii_'. Plucking up two cups, he filled them up and brought both of them to the seat before handing one to Kagome.

"Thanks."

"Keh."

She chuckled at his dismissal of her gratitude. "Inuyasha," she began, cradling the cup of warm liquid in both her hands, "this is so…thoughtful."

"Thoughtful? Is that all you have to say?"

"I didn't think you'd remember my little fear of cars. I've gotten a lot better at handling it. My friend Eri dated this guy who was some motorhead. It was all about fast cars. Nice looking and very expensive fast cars. He let Eri drive one of his masterpieces and insisted on driving me around in it. I convinced myself that if I kept my eyes closed, it would feel like an amusement ride."

"Is this the same Eri who fucks around with a different male every month?"

"I see Sango told you about her. Apparently, she had an interest in you at my graduation party." Inuyasha stuck his tongue out at that disgusting idea. Some guys liked easy, well-used women. Inuyasha's nose couldn't handle it. "Sango protected you from her. Anyhoo…this is really nice."

"Don't think it'll happen again."

"I don't expect it. I'm okay with taxis, or…even you driving."

"You'll stay on the far side. You've got claws."

"I'm sorry." She rolled her eyes at him as she chuckled. "So, where are we going?"

"Surprise."

"A surprise? Can you give me a hint at least?"

"No."

"Please?" she pouted, batting her eyelashes at him.

"No. Knock it off. You'll see when we get there."

Kagome leaned back into her seat, crossing her arms across her chest. "You're no fun."

"No, it's just that I'm sure you know the name of every single restaurant in the city. Wouldn't be fair for me."

"Eh, maybe you're right. But really, I don't know all of them. I've still got some time left to visit each and every one. I guess there is a chance that you found a restaurant I haven't eaten at yet." Kagome took a sip of her tea and shivered from the now slushy drink.

Inuyasha felt her shiver and instinctively wrapped an arm around her shoulders, puller her closer to him. "Better?"

"Y-yeah, much." Now she had another reason to shiver. She wiggled up against him, seeking out more of his warmth. He really had all of this planned out.

The rest of the ride was carried out in a comfortable silence with Kagome snuggled up against him when the carriage finally came to a gentle halt.

"We've arrived Doctor Takahashi."

He didn't want to be there yet. "Let's go. I'm hungry." Inuyasha pulled the blanket away and took her hand, pulling her up out of the seat and helping her out of the carriage, down the single step and onto the sidewalk.

"What about the…"

"Don't worry so much about it." He tugged on her arm, pulling her away from the horse and into the restaurant.

The restaurant was a tiny, 'blink-and-you'll-miss-it' building sandwiched between two shops that were closed at this time of night. Two red lanterns hanging from the corners of the awning lit the entrance into the miniscule place. Kagome searched around for a name to this place, but Inuyasha was eager to get inside, tugging her along so she was unable to learn anything about this place from the outside.

Inside was warm and cozy and simple, with handmade wooden tables and chairs stained and worn from decades of use. Immediately, Kagome felt extremely self-conscious in her over-priced, designer label dress.

"Inuyasha…"she whispered, feeling like she needed to leave immediately.

"Ah, Inuyasha, right on time," an elderly man said, grinning as he hobbled from the back of the restaurant. "This way, this way. I have the best table reserved just for you."

Inuyasha nudged Kagome forward, following the old man towards the back of the restaurant where a table was prepared from them. The old man pulled out a chair for Kagome. "For you, beautiful lady."

"Oi, hands off you old pervert."

The old man chuckled. "I didn't mean anything by it." He wandered off to the back of the restaurant, disappearing underneath dark blue panels of material.

"He's just trying to be polite," Kagome said as she unbuttoned her jacket.

Inuyasha walked over to her and slid the jacket off of her shoulders and down her arms, her bare back completely exposed by the cut of the dress. Now there was a part of her he'd never seen before. He draped her jacket over the back of her chair and grunted at her to get her to sit down. Once she was seated, he sat down in the chair across from her.

"Can I ask?" Kagome started, leaning towards the hanyou.

"Ask what?"

"About this place?"

"I 'spose so…"he grumbled slightly embarrassed. He really didn't know why he was embarrassed. "But the old man will just answer it for you."

"Okay, then we can talk about something else. Uh…let's see…you left lunch earlier than usual yesterday, everything okay at work?"

Guess he didn't have to start that conversation. "Keh, it's fine. Had a special board meeting to go to about hiring some nutritionists and dietitians at our clinic."

"Eh, really?"

"Yeah, a series of studies concluded that fat people have a harder time conceiving…blah, blah, blah. And fat pregnant women have a difficult pregnancy which can cause stress on the fetus and some other junk. Miroku babbled on about that for forty-five mintues…."

"That's a great idea," Kagome beamed, ideas already swirling around in her brain. "You could provide menus that could help them lose weight while making sure they are obtaining the proper nutrients."

Inuyasha watched as she became more alive and animated as she talked. He couldn't help but closely watch her as she chatted on and on about minerals and vitamins. Where was that old fart at?

"Here, some chrysanthemum tea to keep you toasty warm." The old man set down two tea cups with a chrysanthemum bud planted at the bottom of each cup. Picking up the ceramic kettle, he poured the scalding water into Kagome's cup first, grinning as he watched Kagome's go wide from the bud blooming in the water. Kagome picked up the cup, examining its contents as the old man took care of Inuyasha.

"I've heard about this, but I've never seen it before. It's beautiful."

The old man chuckled. "Why thank you pretty lady. However, I can't take all of the credit for it." The old man peeked at a blushing Inuyasha. The hanyou picked up the tea and took a sip to avoid saying anything about it. "Anything you see listed on the wall is available for you to feast upon."

"Just surprise us with something. I'm hungry."

"Right," the old man replied, scowling at Inuyasha before hurrying back into the kitchen.

Kagome took another sip of the blossomed tea as if she were drinking its nectar herself. "And exercise."

"What?"

"Exercise. You need to recommend exercise as well. It's simple. We gain weight because we don't burn off the extra calories we consume."

"No."

"Huh?"

"I'm not opening my gym to my fuckin' patients. I was forced to open it to my shitty employees."

Kagome sighed, shaking her head. One good thing about spending those lunches with Inuyasha was that she grew accustomed to his speech mannerisms. She didn't have any problems with his cussing as sometimes her friends' language was much cruder and they were girls. Ayame and Eri were lingual forces to be reckoned with.

"I'm not asking you to open up your precious gym to them. Any local gym would jump at a chance for some sponsorship. It's how we're able to afford all of the nice dinner and flatware at the restaurant."

"What do you mean?"

"We're able to purchase our goods at a discount rate and then we advertise for them. They're on the website, listed on the back of the menu and then when they do things with their products, they can say things like 'as seen at _KenSen_' and so on. You could do the same with a chain of gyms, something modern and easily accessible to your patients.

"You thought this all up now?"

"I've learned to think more like a business person these last few months. It's what a restaurant is after all. It's somewhat personal and important to me, but then there are those aspects to it."

"Like the clinic."

"Yeah. You know what I mean. And exercising has more benefits for pregnant women than just slimming down, but it makes it easier for them to carry the child, makes labor easier and-"

"Kagome."

"Yes?"

"We…you don't have to keep talking about this." He never really thought about that, about how much talking about his job could be hurting her.

"It's okay. I…I've…I just figure it's the gods' way of telling me that Hojo and I…well, we weren't meant to be. I loved him, but…it wasn't the love I was searching for, the kind I think I need. I've just traded one dream for another."

"Did Sango help you figure that out?"

"Yes and no. She was the one that had a better idea of my situation. It took a lot of dinners and drinks to get my friends to see where I was coming from. None of them could believe it at first. So we talked, ate, cried, drank and in the end, we all understood each other."

"This isn't some she-woman male haters club now, is it?"

"No, no. Not all men are evil. It's just that I have no regrets about what happened and what I did. There's the here and now to worry about and not the past."

"The here and now, eh?" He liked the sound of that. Dwelling on the past for too long and you could get stuck. Kagome, single and sexy was his here and now. "Oi, old man, how about some beer?"

"He's cooking Inuyasha. This food you're so desperately hungry for."

"Keh, you're right. Wait here." Kagome watched as Inuyasha stood up and strolled into the kitchen. It was becoming very obvious that this 'old man' and Inuyasha were very close. Entering the kitchen of a stranger to serve yourself was a carnal sin in the restaurant business. "Here," he mumbled plopping down a chilled glass and a bottle of domestic beer.

"Thanks." She poured some of the amber ale into her glass. "How long have you been coming here?"

"Dunno. Since I was little. The old man was a friend of my pop's. He always made sure I was fed."

"Ever thought about asking him to run your cafeteria?"

"That's a great idea. Oi, you hear that old man? Leave this dump and work at my place for me."

"Can he hear you?"

"Old man's hearing is fuckin' sharp even thought he's older than dirt."

"He's a youkai…right?"

"Fed my pop too."

"Does he know about all of the pretty girls that visit your clinic?"

"I do now," the old man said, grinning with an almost toothy smile carrying an assortment of plates with food on a chunk of wood he used as a tray.

"It's about fuckin' time. What were you doing there old man, re-inventing fire?"

The old man smacked Inuyasha on the top of his head, missing his ears. "Quiet ya whelp. Or do you not want to eat?" Inuyasha grumbled as he rubbed the part of his head where he was struck. "All my best for you pretty lady."

"You didn't…" And she froze as he laid out plates with samples of all different types of food, like a buffet instead of a single, coherent meal. Some of the dishes she recognized and others were new to her. Looking up, a giant bowl of something that appeared to be a soup was set down in front of Inuyasha.

"Enjoy." The old man bowed, took a few steps away from the table and then quickly disappeared, leaving Inuyasha and Kagome alone to eat.

"What do you have?" Kagome inquired, leaning over as far as she could to get a peek inside the deep black pot, her chopsticks clicking in anticipation.

"Oi, stay away. You've got your own damn food to eat."

"I just want to know what you're eating. Sheesh. I'm not going to eat it and I know you wouldn't let me. I'm quite aware of how hungry you claim to be."

"Keh. It's _Chanko Nabe_."

"Really? You can eat that?"

"Youkai metabolism."

"Right." Sometimes she forgot that he was hanyou. Sure, he had those ears, the ones she so desperately wanted to fondle, but she was so comfortable around him that exactly what he was just slipped her mind. "Itadakimasu," she sang out ready to eat.

Kagome greedily eyed the succulent pieces in front of her. It was so hard to choose which one to start with. That. She would start with the tiny pile of dark pink cubes with the brown liquid sauce coating it. Closing her eyes, she dropped the squishy cube into her mouth and tasted it before actually eating it. "Oh…"she squealed at its taste. "Mmmm." She popped the two remaining chunks of what she guessed to be _maguro butsu_ into her mouth.

Inuyasha quietly ate his hodgepodge of food, watching Kagome as she delightfully ate her food. He'd warned the old man earlier about Kagome and her love of good food. Sure, he could've taken her to some fancy-schmancy restaurant, but the old man's food was just as good, maybe even better. Plus, he wanted her to experience something that was important to him.

Kagome didn't say much, only some squeals and moans as she ate the variety of food the old man prepared for her. The old man knew his Japanese cuisine inside out. She feasted upon _sabatatsuta-agge_ to _nigiri-zushi_ and even _furo fuku daikon_. After eating the _furo fuki daikon_ she was struck with some creative inspiration and decided that tomorrow, she'd try making a variety of this dish.

Before the food was completely finished, Inuyasha found some random pieces of Kagome's food to snatch away before the old man returned to clear away the dishes and refill their tea cups. Also placed in front of them was a small plate with a scoop of green ice cream and a bright orange cube-shaped piece of cake.

Kagome looked up at the old man, her eyes asking him about the dessert. He smiled at her eagerness to understand food. "_Matcha_ ice cream, secret family recipe and _kabocha_ squash cake."

"It was excellent. All of it."

"At least someone here knows how to make a compliment," the old man grumbled. Inuyasha remained unphased by the old man's attempt to make a big deal out of nothing. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself pretty lady. Remember to come and visit again."

"We can trade recipes." The old man just chuckled as he took away the mess into the kitchen.

Once dessert was finished, they said their goodbyes to the old man before bundling up in their coats so they could tackle the frigid temperatures. Kagome was surprised to see the horse carriage, the same horse carriage waiting for them. Inuyasha didn't give her a chance to make any comments about it as he hurried her into the carriage so they could make the trip back to the Shrine.

Immediately, he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close so he could keep her warm throughout the entire ride. Nor did she say anything to the contrary, instead snuggling closer, and both releasing a very content sigh. Due to the warmth of the carriage, the driver took and different and longer route back to the Shrine. He couldn't help himself, this couple looked like they weren't ready for the date to end just yet.

Inuyasha had a lot of questions to ask her regarding the pregnancy, why she left Hojo or who was the man that helped her move out. That one had rotted his brain for months, parading around images and ideas that ruined a lot of pillows and walls. The contractor hired to repair those walls didn't complain.

Kagome didn't let her mind idle either. She wondered about Inuyasha and when he and that mysterious babe broke up. That girl was beautiful. Like any curious girl, she speculated about their relationship, their breakup and how long ago that breakup was. Kagome didn't want to be the rebound girl. Eri was a rebound girl and she was good at it because she didn't form emotional attachments. Kagome didn't want to be used like that, she couldn't make it out whole.

It was easier to ignore those plaguing doubts for now so she could try to enjoy her time with Inuyasha. So far it was great. Nothing to complain about. She didn't know if he had anything else planned for the evening. The horse carriage was beyond anything she had expected from the hanyou. It was so sweet. It could've been the whole date itself. And dinner…she was definitely going to go to that place again.

The carriage came to a slow stop abruptly letting the riders know that they had arrived at their destination: the Shrine. Both let out disappointed sighs as the end of the night was right before them. Inuyasha was the one that reluctantly moved first, pulling the blanket away from their bodies. Even Inuyasha shivered from the lack of warmth as he stood up, bringing Kagome up with him.

He helped her down the single step and then with an arm wrapped around her, they made their way up the steps to the Shrine. Kagome was regretting wearing such a skimpy dress. If she'd know that he wasn't taking her with a specific dress code, she'd have dressed more sensible, like in nice slacks and a pretty sweater. It was too late now as they finally made it up the steps and were making their way toward the main house.

Inuyasha stopped, pulling himself away as Kagome took a step toward the door, away from him, before turning around to face him. "Thank you," she began, smiling softly at the handsome hanyou, "I had such a great time."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it was…wow. I could go on and on about it, but-"

"But, it's fuckin' cold out here."

"I guess you're right." Kagome smiled at him before looking up at him with a examining look. "Uh…you have something stuck in your hair."

"What?"

"Here, I'll get it for you." Kagome took that step forward, closing up whatever distance there was between them, reaching up towards his bangs. Inuyasha closed his eyes, relishing her scent and trying to keep his youkai at bay. Instincts didn't always like dating. Kagome took the change to lightly pinch his ear, rubbing the appendage between her fingers. Her lips touch his and a new warmth spread through her body from the contact. This kiss was soft and sweet, nothing like what he had given her earlier. She pulled away, smiling at him as she stepped up the door. "Goodnight, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha opened his eyes, blushing from the gentle kiss and the gentle touch. "Night." He watched as she slipped inside, trying to keep the door closed as much as possible to keep the warmth inside. Once he'd heard the click of the locks, he turned and bounded down the stairs with a renewed energy.

The horse carriage was already gone, leaving as soon as the couple had disappeared up the stairs. Rounding the corner, he found his truck right where he had parked it. Starting it up, he let the engine grumble some as it heated up before taking off and heading home. She was sneaky with the way she kissed him, or more precisely, the way she fondled his ear. He was going to have to ask her how long she had felt the urge to touch them. He'd have fun teasing her about that.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's note:** So, so, so sorry about the delay. I was extremely tired that when I got home both Thursday and Friday night, I fell asleep right away. Also, after I got this typed out, there was some stuff that I felt I needed to add to make it better, so I did that. I'd rather give you something good then something rushed just to make my self-imposed deadline.

Even though the medical stuff is kinda over with, there are still some things to explain, the food they ate at the restaurant.

Chanko Nabe – a hot pot called Sumo wrestler's hot pot that is normally eaten after their morning exercise. It has fish and chicken and tofu in it as well as other things.

Furo fuki daikon – Daikon is a type of radish that is extremely popular in Japan. In this dish, the daikon is cooked slowly and served with a tangy miso sauce.

Maguro butsu – cubed and marinated raw tuna. The marinate is made from a mixture of soy sauce and wasabi.

Nigiri zushi – hand-molded fingers of vinegared rice with slices of raw fish on top. One of several types of sushi.

Matcha ice cream – matcha is the powdered form of green tea. So, basically this is green tea ice cream. It is made by mixing the matcha powder with vanilla ice cream.

Kabocha squash cake – a cake made with the kabocha variety of squash.

I was asked about the food Kagome eats in her restaurant. Here is this chapter's recipe:

Garlic-Ginger-Soy Syrup

3 tablespoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons minced ginger

1 bunch scallions, sliced

1 cup naturally brewed soy sauce

1 cup honey

Juice of 2 large limes

Grapeseed or canola oil for cooking

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a saucepan over medium heat coated lightly with oil, combine garlic, ginger and scallions and season very lightly with salt and pepper. Sweat until softened, about 3 minutes. Deglaze with naturally brewed soy sauce and add honey and lime juice. Bring to a simmer and let mixture reduce about 30 to 40 to a syrup consistency, about 10 to 15 minutes. To check consistency, use a cool dish, draw a line of syrup on dish, and hold vertically. If line holds with a few drips, that's a syrup consistency. Allow to cool. You can then transfer to a sterile, wide-mouth jar, and store in the refrigerator.

Stir-Fried Filet Mignon with Rice Cakes

1 pound filet mignon, trimmed, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons Garlic-Ginger-Soy Syrup, divided

1 package sizzling rice cakes

5 stalks of green asparagus, bias-cut into 1-inch lengths

1 small red or green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch dice

1 small white onion, cut into 1-inch dice

Grapeseed or canola oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Prepare a fryer or stockpot filled 1/3 full with oil and heat to 400°F.

In a large bowl, combine beef and 2 tablespoons Garlic-Ginger-Soy Syrup. Stir to coat thoroughly and marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Meanwhile, when oil is hot, gently place rice cakes into oil and fry until puffed, about 30 seconds, turning halfway through cooking. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.

Heat a large sauté pan lightly coated with oil over high heat. Add marinated beef and stir-fry briefly, just until meat is seared on all sides, about 2 minutes. (You will be cooking the meat a second time.) Remove beef to a dish.

Lightly coat the same pan with oil over high heat. Add asparagus and cook for about 30 seconds, then add remaining Garlic-Ginger-Soy Syrup, pepper and onion and stir-fry for about 1 minute, coating vegetables with syrup. Check flavor and season, if necessary. Add beef and stir-fry for about 2 minutes more, until vegetables are tender-crisp and beef is cooked but still medium-rare in center.

To serve, arrange sizzling rice cakes on platter and top with filet mignon stir-fry.

I won't guarantee a Friday update since I don't know how awake or tired I will be this week. But that doesn't mean I won't try. If you want to be kept somewhat up to date about what's going on with this fic, check out my livejournal account. I try to update that when possible.

Have a great week.

roshully


	20. Chapter 20

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Twenty****A Way Bad**

Sunday morning, as Kagome prepared breakfast for her mother and herself, she quietly hummed, smiling, but staying mostly quiet. Mama Higurashi didn't press her daughter for any scandalous information about her daughter's date. Kagome was old enough to make any decision for herself, or if she would seek out motherly advice or not. So for now, she'd just sit back and let her daughter be a grown-up. A happy one at that.

"How do you want your eggs?"

"Scrambled," Mama Higurashi replied before lifting up her teacup to finish off the brew.

"Anything in it or plain?"

"Plain is fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Kagome, this isn't a restaurant. You're supposed to relax when you're home."

"I know that. It's just that I don't actually get to cook that often."

"Now that's not true."

"Really? The last time I cooked at the restaurant was…well, when Inuyasha first ate there. Did I tell you about that?" Her mother shook her head so Kagome continued. "He demanded to have ramen served to him. Ramen."

"Well of course he would. Didn't he want payment from you in the form of meaty broth and thin, curly egg noodles?"

"You remembered that?"

"You didn't put caviar in it, did you?"

"No."

"He's a simple man that knows what he wants." Mama Higurashi was proud of her daughter for seeing Inuyasha for the first time after six months and not having any thoughts of revenge, but only that of friendship. Some girls would think to seek revenge on someone that could be blamed for a terrible event that happened, if that someone weren't completely responsible for said event. Kagome did not feel that way about Inuyasha.

"He is simple," Kagome muttered, setting down two plates of scrambled eggs, rice and sausage patties. One good thing about working at a restaurant: leftovers. "He's not simple-minded. He's actually really perceptive."

"I'm sure he has to be for his job." Mama Higurashi placed her chopsticks down on the table. "A second date?"

"Mama!"

"Sorry, I couldn't hold out any longer." The elder woman giggled like a tween girl before resuming her breakfast.

"I really don't know. I'd like to take things slow. I mean, I just ended it with Hojo and we'd been together for what…five…six years."

"What do they say? One month for every year?"

"Strange conversion. But…I don't want to waste my time."

"Are you saying Hojo was a waste of time?"

"No. I-I don't know. I think nine in-vitros was a waste of time. Being with a man that couldn't satisfy my needs may have been a waste of my time."

"You can't regret the past, you can only learn from it. What happened with Hojo may or may not happen with Inuyasha or any other guy for that matter. Just let things happen naturally."

"I don't want to rush it. I don't want it to crash and burn. I don't want a fling. I don't think I could 'fling' even if I wanted to."

"No one is telling you to do that, however, neither can you control it. Well, you can sure try." Mama Higurashi gave her daughter a smile that she hoped would relieve some of the anxiety Kagome was feeling. "These are good eggs."

"Oh, okay." Kagome picked and nibbled at her breakfast. At times, she broke out into a smile, blushing, and at other times, she'd frown. This whole dating thing was complicated. And among all of her friends, Sango would be the one who she could relate to the most right now, though only barely. Sango was in a semi-stable relationship with Miroku, but it was somewhat of a new relationship. Yuka, Ayumi and Ayame were all married. And Eri didn't date because dating meant you were interested in something meaningful and, God forbid, long-term.

The only real single people she knew were those at work. Rin was the only girl she was close to that she felt comfortable enough to share intimate details with. And Jakotsu as well. Rin and Jakotsu were a weird sort of tag team when it came to gossip and dishing out advice. They could be on the radio.

"Any plans for today?"

Kagome shrugged her shoulders. "Some laundry. Need to pack my clothes for the week. Oh, and go over the receipts for the week since I skipped out on Saturday night."

"You have to do that today?"

"Yeah. I'm in meetings tomorrow since April is coming up and some of the students working for me will be graduating, so we're creating evaluation forms and creating a procedure where the students would have to actually cook something from their portfolios at the restaurant."

"I never thought tests could be delicious."

"We don't. It terrifies us. There's performance anxiety for the students when they first start at the restaurant until they get comfortable, but a test is different. I am so glad I don't have to do what they do."

"It'll be fine. Will Shippo be graduating this year?"

"No. He's decided to stick around and do the pastry track, as well as the confections. He's youkai, so he has the time."

"Shippo and Rin like to stop by and bring me leftovers."

"That's because you're their mama. You're everyone's mom."

"It's not that. I just think that they're worried about you."

"Them? Worried about me? What are they worried about?"

"Probably all of the time you spend at the restaurant. They're young, though. Nor do I think they understand how important this is to you."

"I think Jakotsu's older than me."

"Well, he just thinks that it's wrong for a beautiful, mid-twenty-something female to not be out looking for Mr. Right. But he's such a doll."

"He wants to be your life partner."

"Tell him that's okay."

"Mama!"

"What? He's a sweet boy. Oh, don't worry about him or me or Rin. We're all adults and can take care of ourselves, or at least I can take care of Rin, Shippo and Jakotsu for a while."

"That's what they both really want."

"I know. But what do you want?"

"How do you do that?"

"What do I do?"

"You can completely change the subject just like that."

"I'm just curious Kagome, about you. I'm sure any of your other friends are concerned about the time you spend at the restaurant. But what they all need to understand is that this is what you want."

"Well…yeah…that's true, but…but I might want other things too, someday. I'm just trying to get back on my feet. I'm almost 26 years old. I live at the restaurant I work at and then at my mother's place on the weekends. I have very little money saved up because of the costs of the fertility treatments. I just got out of a long-term relationship. I'm just trying to find my own pace."

"I know dear. I know. Though I still can't understand why Hojo couldn't help out with the cost of those treatments."

"Because I chose not to let him. He practically paid for everything else, the previous treatments, the rent, utilities, food. I felt so bad at times, like I was some freeloader and not his girlfriend."

"He was just taking care of you."

"I know, but I'm a capable person."

"You can't do it all alone."

"What about you? You do it all by yourself."

"No I don't. I have you, and my friends, our family, the Shrine patrons. Everyone contributes in their own way."

"I don't feel like I've really lived."

"You live everyday. You're living now. Life isn't always about those large events that drastically reshape our livelihood. The little things count for something. I think you're trying too hard Kagome. If Inuyasha isn't the one, so be it, but at least you'll know and won't dwell on it ten…twenty years from now."

"Mama…"

"Yes?"

"You've lived at the Shrine for way too long."

"I know. But I'd like to think of it more along the lines that your grandfather, father, and brother are still here…and are helping me to guide you."

"Oh Mama…"

"Don't cry. It's a happy thought."

"I know. These are happy tears."

"Good. Now, let's get started on your laundry and then we can curl up by the fire and drink some of that hot chocolate of yours while you work on receipts."

"Okay, we'll do that and the dishes."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome got up early Monday morning, lugging her overstuffed suitcase to the restaurant first before heading off to the culinary institute for a day full of meetings with various instructors about the students currently working, as well as those who applied to work, at _KenSen_. _KenSen_ was a wildly popular place to work among the students, a surprise to Kagome.

That surprise was quickly pushed aside as the daunting task of evaluations, documents and other mundane activities that would last until dinnertime loomed. Kagome grabbed something quick from the convenience store near the school before making it back to the restaurant, only to look forward to doing this week's inventory. Monday nights were always spent in the kitchen and the supply rooms, double-checking the amount of inventory. She then compared this to the specials of the week, just in case something had to be ordered.

Dressed in oversized sweatpants, a tank top, and a zip-up hoodie, she started her counting of the fridge and freezer items. It was during these humdrum tasks that her mind started to wander to her date with Inuyasha Saturday night. And that kiss…what a kiss! She was too embarrassed to tell him that she'd never been kissed like that before. The feel of his body, his soft tender lips, and the way he surprised her with it set aflame a rawer side to her, as well as one intense pillow-biting orgasm she brought on herself. She didn't want to wake her mother.

What really threw her for a loop was that he had confessed to her that he'd wanted to kiss her since he first saw her. But wasn't he with that other woman? Kagome sighed as she checked the 'manufactured by' dates on the packages. Maybe he was dating her, but wasn't in a real relationship with that woman. Kagome didn't really know how that all worked. She really hoped it wasn't a pickup line. At least it was better than 'your eyes are really pretty.'

"What to do? What…to…do?" Kagome said to herself as she made a note to purchase extra chili oil since the cold snap was forecasted to hover about the city for another week.

She really liked him, but wasn't sure if she could trust her own feelings. Her mother made some good points, but it was hard. She had her doubts. Those doubts she considered to be normal. What did she know about dating, really? Once she had explained everything to her friends, once they knew how Hojo really was, they went on and on about how Kagome's relationship was a dud and that she hadn't experienced the same kind of dating they did.

And was Inuyasha that kind of dating?

Kagome tossed the package of tofu back into the fridge, grunting at the frustrations her mind was causing her. Why was dating so difficult? She never thought dating Hojo was difficult. But, Hojo was different. She learned how different he was through the years, and it wasn't until the very last years that it became apparent just how different he really was. But Inuyasha was not Hojo.

_Boy, is that an understatement._

Kagome didn't know how Inuyasha felt about the date. Heck, he kissed her right off the bat and even said that if things still went bad, at least he got a kiss. She didn't know if she should be flattered or hurt by that statement. He didn't try anything after he dropped her back off at the Shrine. Nor had he called yet. Yuka and Eri both explained to her about this male urban myth of the two-day phone call. That a guy believes he needs to wait at least two days after a date to call if…IF the guy felt a connection. However, women's magazines said that guys like a direct girl.

She could call. She knew that. But she wanted to avoid it at the same time. What if he didn't enjoy himself? What if he didn't feel a connection and that was that? If that was the case, would she be forever doomed to be stuck as 'the friend'? She didn't think she could just be his friend if she had these kinds of feelings and reactions to him every time she saw him. That would be too hard.

The only thing she could do, other than her inventory, was to see if he showed up tomorrow for lunch. She didn't know if it would be worse over the phone or in person. But why was she expecting only the worst? She figured she had a happier outlook on life, always seeing the good before the bad. But not for her. She tried at one time, but gave up. Thinking about the worst prepared her for the worst.

She finished up the rest of the inventory, not dwelling too much on the depressing 'what-ifs.' And no matter how prepared she thought she could be, life wasn't like that. Did that mean she shouldn't bother herself about what horrible things could happen? She didn't know.

Walking into her office, she automatically yawned at the sight of the oversized couch. Never had she thought that having this career would mean living out of the office. Sure, she could get an apartment close by, but it would only end up as an expensive storage unit. Sleep and storage, but it wouldn't be a place she would live at. The Shrine was free and so was her office. It would do for now as she worked on saving up her money.

Kagome pulled out her pillow and blankets, transforming the blue-colored couch into her bed. She had grown accustomed to the make-shift bed, but remained firm in her belief that it could never replace a real one. Sleeping on her bed back at the Shrine was enough to satiate her needs every week.

Tonight, she quickly fell into a shallow, dreamless sleep.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Is this for real?"

Miroku slyly grinned as he nodded to affirm Inuyasha's question regarding a letter that came their way this morning. Apparently, it was mislabeled and spent part of Monday stranded at the wrong location. This news didn't settle well for Inuyasha at all.

"Today?"

"Yeah, well, this afternoon. It was already approved by the board."

Inuyasha tossed the letter onto his desk and let out a heavy sigh. "Fuck. I guess there's nothing else to do."

"We need to get our stuff, but, it's a go."

"What time?"

"Uh," Miroku pulled out his copy of the letter and scanned its contents, "two."

Inuyasha glanced at the clock in the corner of his computer screen. It was just after eleven. Pushing his chair back, he made sure he had his stuff and quietly rushed out of his office.

"Inuyasha…" Miroku called out, knowing that the hanyou heard him and it was clear that Inuyasha was ignoring him. The only problem Miroku had was that he didn't know why. And that meant something was going on.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Shippo!"

"What?"

"Where's your dessert proposal? I need it so I can make the orders."

"It's in my locker in the break room."

Kagome sighed as she thought about her situation. When she arrived back from her morning workout, she was sent an e-mail about a promotion for the restaurant involving desserts starting in about two weeks, or three, if needed. This week, she needed to place orders and create an advertisement. It was a whole lot of work that she hadn't been warned about during the meetings yesterday.

"Okay. When you get the chance, bring it to me. I'll be in my office. At least, I think I will be. If I'm not, just leave it on my desk."

Shippo just waved at her as a sign that he got her message as she made her way back into her office. Today was hectic. Something about the cold sent people into the restaurant this week; when last week, they scampered home instead of going out. Kagome just couldn't figure these people out. But, if the frigid air brought them in, that was good. But what she was really waiting for was spring. She really wanted to see the restaurant into the spring season.

Sitting down at her desk, Kagome rechecked her e-mail, seeing if anything new had arrived in the past ten minutes. Once Shippo gave her his group's dessert menu, then she could really get to work. She planned to outsource the advertising to a nearby school, trying to keep everything about the restaurant a true learning experience, as well as keeping the cost low.

A knock at the door and a cutesy call of her name tore Kagome away from the computer screen to find Rin standing there. "You busy?"

Kagome blinked a couple of times, shaking her head. "Rin…what are you doing here?"

Rin giggled. "I work here silly."

"It's lunch."

"Yeah, I know. Actually, I'm not here to work. I'm here to see my schedule."

"Schedule?" Kagome paused before turning back to the computer. "This week's?"

"No. Next. If you have it made out yet."

"Sorry I don't have it right now. Give me five, ten minutes to double-check it before I print out a copy."

"Okay. No problem. I'll be upstairs with Jak."

Kagome smiled at the cheery young girl and waited until she had left before returning to her work. Today was already one of those days. She was really anxious about lunch later on and thought about making sure she had plenty of work to do just in case. Something needed to keep her mind busy enough.

And before she got a chance to get started again, another knock at her door. And her mother wondered why she spent so much time here. "The schedule will be out in a few minutes," she said as she searched through the files on her computer for the folder that contained all of the information for schedules.

"You're putting me on a schedule?"

Kagome quickly glanced up to find Inuyasha casually leaning up against the door frame. His thick silver hair was braided back, but he wore that leather jacket of his. He had been taking the braid out when coming to their lunches. It just had to be one of those days.

"Inuyasha." Kagome glanced at the time to make sure that four hours hadn't already passed by. "Hi! What…what can I do for you?" she asked as she managed to escape from her chair to stand up.

Inuyasha casually shrugged. "Not much." He pushed himself up and crossed his arms over his chest. "I stopped by to tell you that I won't be able to make it lunch today."

"Oh, well, that's okay. We're really swamped today." Kagome laughed off the tiny twinge of pain she felt pinching her somewhere.

"And the rest of the week."

Kagome paused mid-laughter as that pinching pain flamed up and scorched her heart. "Oh," she breathed out. "Work?"

"Yeah, work."

"Here or…"

"Seattle."

"Wow, uh, long trip. Would…eh, would you like something to take with you?"

"No thanks. I just wanted to stop by quickly and tell you before I catch my flight."

"Be careful."

"Sure. Bye."

"Yeah…bye…" Her soft voice trailed off as he turned and hurried out of her office to leave. Kagome watched him, unsure of what to think. Was…was this his way of blowing her off? He said nothing about their date…a big, old, fat nothing. Kagome slid over to her couch and sunk down into her temporary bed.

So, was that…it? Was that the end? She didn't want to believe it, even as she had prepared herself for it. It couldn't really be an ending, as there wasn't much of a beginning. And instead of having dating doubts, Kagome had doubts about herself. Kagome also didn't miss the fact that the reason he couldn't make lunch was because of work.

Work. She had a lot of work to do. It was what helped her cope with the breakup of her last relationship and it would help her with this. Jumping up off her couch, she had a schedule to print, a dessert promotion to get started, and another week of making sure her customers had the best dining experience possible. Yep, that would be enough to keep her mind from that pain in her head and in her heart.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome worked and worked and worked. When a waitress called in sick, Kagome covered her shift. And when a cook couldn't make it, Kagome covered that for him. And she was okay with it all. When asked why she decided to work instead of calling in someone else, Kagome replied that she wanted to talk to the customers about the food and the service, and to see how the kitchen was running since she hardly had the time or chance to. Kagome kept quiet about her real reasons for the extra work.

Normally, Kagome didn't stay up until the closing of the bar, letting either Jakotsu or Bankotsu handle it. The restaurant section closed up at around ten, and then she spent about an hour cleaning and closing up. Tonight, she felt restless. Perhaps it was from all of the extra work that had somehow pumped extra adrenaline into her pained system. She settled into a seat at the bar.

"Kagome, what are you doing here?" Bankotsu asked as he caught her out of the corner of his eye and had to make his way over to her.

Kagome smiled at the handsome young bartender. Jakotsu and Bankotsu both came in together to apply for the bartender position saying that they were an inseparable team. The two had a lot of experience and she got along well with both of them, so she hired them right on the spot. What Kagome didn't know is if they were related or not. They weren't partners in that sense, or brothers, but just really good friends, or cousins…

"Oh, I decided to cover a kitchen shift tonight," Kagome explained as she eyed the number of patrons still hanging around. Many were businessmen still conducting business. It was one reason why she insisted on having a bar.

"So, what can I get for you, oh fearless workaholic?"

The weight of ignoring her little problem started to buckle. "Something sweet and dangerous," she replied.

"A drink made like Kagome."

"What about Kagome?"

"Oh, hey Rin," Kagome said as Rin plopped down in the seat next to her. "Oh, Bankotsu's getting me a drink."

"We're drinking? I want one."

"Sure."

"Rin, why didn't you go home? It's late. You're done."

"I normally hang out here for a while after my shift ends."

"Aren't the single guys heading home by now?"

Rin grinned as she waggled her eyebrows at Kagome. "Only the boring ones."

"Ah, I see."

Bankotsu set down two glasses of something pink colored. Both girls reached out for their glasses and pulled them over for a closer inspection. With the way the bar was built, many of the drinks glowed like something reactive because of the illumination from the lights underneath the glass bar. Rin shrugged her shoulders and took a safe sip.

"Yummy. It tastes like bubblegum." Rin gleefully giggled out before taking another, yet larger, sip.

Kagome took a sip, finding that Rin was correct in her declaration. "This is really good," she confessed before downing back the rest of the drink. The empty glass rattled against the bar top as Kagome slid it toward Bankotsu.

"Another?" he cautiously asked. He was aware that Kagome was comfortable with tiny amounts of alcohol, mostly sake and wine. But when it came to hard liquor, she wasn't a drunk.

"Yeah. One more," she requested already feeling past her limit.

"Kagome?"

"Yes Rin?"

"What are you doing this coming Monday evening?"

"Inventory. You know that."

"Anything else?"

"No." Bankotsu set down another bubblegummy concoction, keeping the alcohol content to the tiniest minimum. "Thanks."

Rin moved closer to her boss and friend. "I was wondering…if you were willing….well…"

"Just say it. You've never been one to be afraid to just come out with it."

"Right. Okay. Well, there's this gathering at this awesome little eatery in the Ginza district and I was wondering if you were interested in going."

"A gathering? Like a date gathering?" Kagome asked out loud.

"Yeah, exactly like a date gathering."

"Rin, we aren't nurses or flight attendants. We don't even wear uniforms, or are in company calendars, or anything like that."

"So. That's just a stereotype."

Kagome sighed before taking another large sip of her drink. "Rin, I-I can't."

"Why not? You're single, right? And searching?"

Kagome opened her mouth to answer, but couldn't and looked away instead. Picking up her glass, she let it rest on her lips before gulping the rest of it down.

"You…you're still stuck on that guy? Inuyasha?"

"It's not that."

"I didn't think you'd be interested in a guy that only reminded you of bad things. He's not that much different from this Hojo guy. A bad communicator, a workaholic, the idea of children…If you want to date a doctor, one will be there, a cardiologist, I think. Or maybe an oncologist, I can't remember exactly."

"I'm not interested in Inuyasha for money. If I was only interested in money, then I could've stayed with Hojo. I'm sorry Rin, but, no thanks. I…I just don't think I'm dating material. Especially right now. Excuse me." Kagome pushed herself up off the stool and hurried to the stairs and quickly made her way down them.

Bankotsu strolled over to Rin. "What was that?"

"Kagome being Kagome."

"Jakotsu told me you were into a lawyer."

"Oh, I am. I'm just going to that gathering for the free food."

"Of course."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Kagome, what are you…" Mama Higurashi stopped when she took in Kagome's rattled appearance, unbrushed hair, pajamas and swollen eyes, and Kagome's making of her infamous cookie dough ice cream. "Oh Kagome…what level?"

"What?"

"I asked what level?"

"Oh, uh, very bad, I think. I'm not really sure."

"Kagome…"

"It's okay Mama, really. I…I just need to talk. Well, I think what I really just need is to hear some things right now." Kagome furiously stirred in the frozen bits of cookie dough into the ice cream batter. She also added copious amounts of chocolate chips. There could never be enough chocolate chips, not for this. Not for the help she needed.

"How many?"

"Five plus me makes six."

"Oh, you've invited Sango?"

"Yeah, if Ayame remembers."

"Well, it's a good thing we got you that larger bed. You finish your ice cream and I'll get everything else ready."

"Thanks Mama."

"So, what are you making for dinner?"

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"You're eating what…No, I don't really care who is there. Yes, I'm glad you're having a…Oh wait, I've got another call. Of course I'm taking it. You can wait. Hello? Ayame? Wait, wait…repeat that…A way bad? Pajamas. Those comfy ones and…yes I know what my security blanket is, I'm a psychologist or did you forget? Where? Okay, okay. Now? Wait. Fine. Bye. Miroku? Hey, I have to go. Actually, I'm not sure. Ayame just called me about something that's way bad. When are you coming home? Okay. See you then. Yes, of course you can call me before then, but it doesn't mean I'll answer. Bye."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Hi girls," Mama Higurashi happily welcomed the five girls standing outside her door. "Hurry inside before you catch a cold."

The girls all scuttled inside, shivering and saying their 'hellos' to their second mother. Mama Higurashi shut the door behind them, locking out the cold draft from the extended cold weather that had yet to let up. The cry of a young child sent Mama Higurashi into a peaceful frenzy.

"You brought Moriko," she cheerily said as she extended her arms to grab the finicky infant out of Ayame's arms.

"I'm sorry Mama H, I didn't want to, but I couldn't leave all four of them in Kouga's care. He's got a real soft spot for Moriko and I'm afraid that something would happen to the boys."

"She's really daddy's little girl, isn't she? Aren't you, you sweet thing?" Moriko giggled at her godmother's smile.

"I thought Kouga was super duper alpha male?" Yuka asked as she slipped off her coat and deposited it onto the back of the couch.

"Yeah, well, three boys ages 2 to 4 are about the limit for him. The only way I could make sure that the house didn't burn down was to bring Mariko with me."

"It's no problem at all Ayame. Moriko and I will stay down here, won't we?" The little wolf child laughed out, clapping her hands together in glee as her emerald eyes sparkled. The little girl's dark brown tail happily wagged at the prospect of spending time with her favorite relative.

"How is she?" Ayumi quietly asked, her eyes glancing in the direction of Kagome's room.

"I'm not sure. She's been at the restaurant all week. She came home, dropped off her laundry, took a long, really long bath and then came out in her bunny pajamas. You know the-"

"Yeah, I know which ones," Ayumi responded. She turned back to the others. "The ones we got her after the second-year dance."

The other girls, excluding Sango, all nodded their heads as if they understood exactly what was going on. Sango figured she'd be clued in later as she was new to this…well, whatever this was. However, now she understood why Eri got her those pajamas for Christmas. There was a note in the card explaining to her that the pajamas were for emergencies only. This must be the emergency she was referring to.

"You girls better hurry on up. Kagome made pizza and ice cream and I'm afraid she plans on eating all of it."

"Cookie dough?" Eri asked, placing her coat on top of the others. Mama Higurashi just nodded her head, trying to keep a smile on her face for Moriko. "Right."

Sango followed the other girls up the stairs and into Kagome's room finding the raven-haired, bunny-clad girl sitting on her bed surrounded by food and clutching tightly onto the stuffed bunny Souta had given to her so many years ago. It was that bunny Kagome had chosen as her security blanket.

The girls, each dressed in their unique pair of pajamas, carried their equally unique security blankets and hurried inside Kagome's room, closing the door behind them for privacy. They climbed onto Kagome's bed, claiming their spots for the rest of the night. All of the girls had called their employers to tell them that they would be taking Monday off as a personal day.

"Hey," Kagome said to her friends as she passed out plates, napkins, and other utensils for the freshly created goods she prepared earlier. The girls all said 'hey', 'hi' and 'hello' back, taking the plates and filling them up with slices of oven-baked pizza, their own personal pizzas topped with their favorites.

Kagome glanced around at everyone, noticing the pajamas they all wore. Ayame was dressed in pale green pajamas with cute little large-eyed sheep and she had a sheep-skin blanket wrapped over her shoulders. Ayumi's pajamas were pale green with green turtles dancing around the fabric and in her hands was a matching stuffed turtle with plastic eyes that moved when jiggled. Yuka's pajamas were purple with bright colorful birds flapping about. Tucked underneath her legs was a pillow made from the same bird-covered fabric as her pajamas. Eri was dressed in something that was almost a penguin suit. She wore a blank spaghetti strap top with a single penguin on the front with matching bottoms of the same, yet smaller version of the penguin all around. Eri cuddled with her penguin puppet.

Lastly was Sango. She was decked out in soft yellow pajamas with kittens on them. Curled around her neck was Kirara, her demonic pet kitten that was truly the most secure security blanket one could ask for. Kirara had been introduced to the girls earlier and was on friendly terms with all of them. The demonic cat was the obvious influence for Sango's style of pajamas. The other girls had decided to get the pajamas for Sango for Christmas as a way to induct her into their tight-knit group. Sango really was one of the girls now.

"Beer?" Sango questioned Kagome as she searched the nearby table for a beverage to go with her meal.

"Yeah," she sheepishly chuckled out. "In case I need my lips loosened."

"We don't want you drunk. You're supposed to remember this," Ayumi reminded her, passing over the beer for the bottle of water. She wanted to remember this night as well.

"Kagome, just talk. You've never been this tongue-tied before," Yuka blasted out in between bites of pizza.

"That's because she's never used her tongue before," Eri teased the already embarrassed girl. Kagome wasn't normally shy, but she had her moments. The other girls laughed, quieting as they settled in. Eri cracked open a can of beer, relishing its smooth, somewhat sour taste.

"Talk. Now," Ayame commanded, not at all worried about Moriko, but only about her boys back home. She prayed to the Gods that they didn't call her to tell her they somehow ended up in the emergency room.

Kagome, held up a slice of pizza and dropped it onto her plate, hearing it plop and staring hard at the patterns the melted cheese made. She bit her bottom lip, starting to feel those overwhelming emotions once again.

"Am I date-able?"

This question posed by Kagome froze the other girls. Their eyes searched out for the others, each silently debating with the other over who would answer first, or if any could answer at all.

Still staring at her slice of pizza, Kagome huffed out a heavy chunk of air, blowing her bangs up and out of her hazy eyes. She had more to say. "I've had men approach me, interested, but nothing ever developed from that."

Kagome hugged her floppy-eared bunny tightly as she brought her knees up to her chest. There was more, a lot more, but Kagome didn't want to share everything right away. As much as this was to be a confessional, it was also supposed to be an open conversation.

Sango set down her slice of pizza, plucking off a piece of meat and slipping it over to Kirara. "Kagome, it can't be just you. Just because a man sees you as someone pretty and approachable and that you see that man in the same way doesn't necessarily mean there's going to be a connection."

Eri agreed with her psychologist companion. "Same with sexual relationships. Not that you are the type for no-strings attached sex. But relationships work because there is something to be gained from it."

"So, you're saying I have nothing to offer a man?"

"Eh, no. When starting out, you share a laugh, talk, and a common interest that gradually builds up. These men who talk to you can't find that."

"Or are too blind to it and are really only looking for that quick fix," Yuka added as she worked on her third slice.

"Yup," Ayame added. Not all men wanted to date and Kagome had to know that.

"So I'm boring? Too career-minded? It can't be about children because it never goes far enough for that to be brought up. And I'm sorry that my sexual experience is so limited that it frightens even me. I still…I mean I'd like to one day have a relationship again, but…"

They all knew Kagome's fear. Strong relationships lead towards marriages which then lead to the possibility of the 'children-talk.' There were exceptions, Yuka being one of them. But still, Kagome wanted a child of her own. It would be hard to screen for a man who was okay with adoption so early on in the dating period.

"I'm so scared of having my heart broken because I'm…I'm not…I'm just not a real woman."

"That's not true," Ayumi defended the poor girl. "Don't say that."

"Even I temporarily forget that I'm unable to conceive, what can I offer to a guy?"

"You're beautiful," Ayame chirped up.

"I'm child-like," Kagome easily argued back.

"You're kind," Ayumi added, remembering all of the times Kagome selflessly helped others.

"Just polite," Kagome barked back.

Sango shook her head at all of this. What was going on now wasn't getting them anywhere. "Kagome, what happened?"

Kagome quickly glanced over in Sango's direction, never bringing her eyes to meet with the psychologist's and sighing as the real reason why she called over her friends was finally being questioned. "Last Saturday, I went out on a date."

"And you didn't tell us," Eri yelled out as she snapped open her second can of beer for the night.

"Be quiet Eri and let the girl talk. We're done listening to you for the time being." Yuka grabbed the can of beer right out of Eri's hands and took a sip.

"It was nice. He took me to this little restaurant that served the most amazing food. He knows about my passion for food. I thought it went rather well. There was conversation, laughter and even a kiss."

"So, what's the problem?" Ayame asked as she was unclear on where Kagome was going with all of this.

"I didn't hear from him until Tuesday. And then all he said was that he was going to be out of town for a week." Now, Kagome couldn't hold them in any longer. Her dark eyes watered up as she once again questioned her self-worth. "He didn't even say anything about the date. He didn't even say that he was going to try to contact me at all. Really? What am I supposed to think? We're friends and I guess…maybe…we tried to see if there was something else beyond friendship. He must've seen nothing and I…I don't think I can still be his friend after the date because…because I really like him, more than a friend.

"All these extra emotions, they hurt because I just don't know. I don't know how to bring it up. I'm not sure if I can. What if he tells me he just wants to be friends? Can I tell him that's impossible for me? I'm so frustrated and lost and…and feeling so hopeless. I can't…"

"You can Kagome. And you will." Ayame reached out and put her hand over Kagome's, giving it a good squeeze. "You handled Souta's and your grandfather's death and this isn't at all as bad as that. We are here to help you, no matter what. You still have time to find your place in this crazy world. You just can't always expect it to go perfectly."

"I know that…" Kagome meekly replied feeling a bit selfish, but at the same time, she needed to be selfish if she was going to get this problem solved.

"Then he's an idiot, Kagome," Eri said, pointing her finger at her friend. "If he can't say anything honest to your face then he's not worth it. Even the guys I simply fuck are able to say something to me, whether I wasn't enough for them or if they want to extend our time together, they say something to me. I do need that feedback for my research."

"Kagome, if you are looking for someone for the long haul, he's going to have to be honest with you up front." Sango stroked the soft fur of Kirara's back and tail. "And you need to be honest with him as well."

"Is it okay for me to just pick up the phone and call him and tell him all of this?"

"Wow, you can really tell when the last time you dated was. Guys don't drag girls into the caves anymore." Yuka casually pointed out as she pushed her pizza away from her, feeling full from the American dish. "Things are a little different today. You, as a healthy, vibrant modern woman, can actively, and even a little aggressively, pursue a man."

"I thought that was something you did because you tend to be more…uh, dominate." Kagome was careful with her comment, as she didn't want to hurt her friend's feelings.

"I tended to be very aggressive, but really, what's stopping you from picking up the phone, calling his dishonest ass, and finding out what is going on?"

Kagome shrugged her shoulders at Yuka. She knew what was holding her back, but couldn't say it, afraid to say it out loud for fear of jinxing herself.

"Does this guy happen to have a name?" Ayumi innocently asked. They were talking about this guy and it would be easier to talk about him if he had a name. He was a living being after all.

Kagome finally looked up at Sango, directly in her chocolate eyes and instantly Sango knew it all. A look told her not only about Kagome, but about who Kagome was talking about. This put Sango in a difficult and even dangerous position.

"Oh Kagome…" Sango whispered having a deeper understanding of where Kagome's doubt was coming from.

"What?" Eri excitedly asked. There had to be something very special about this guy to render Kagome speechless. "Who is this guy?"

Kagome just looked away from everyone, unable to answer. She found some nerve to glance up at Sango, looking to her for confirmation that she should tell her friends about whom this guy really was and the history they shared.

Sango released Kirara, the cat hopping over to Kagome and snuggling up against the conflicted girl. Kagome reached out, touching the soft yellow fur. It was working on making her feel a little bit better.

"He's the silver-haired, doggy-eared hunk at Kagome's party."

"What?" Eri screeched out, causing Kirara to burrow underneath Kagome's legs. "You mean…Was he…? Is she…?" Eri tossed her penguin puppet at Kagome, causing Kirara to burrow deeper so she wouldn't be forced to transform just to protect herself from this woman. "Kagome!"

"What?"

"Nothing actually. He's good looking. I'm kinda jealous." Eri reached over and took her penguin puppet back so she could continue to cuddle with it.

"You…you tried hitting on him?" Kagome asked, unaware that her friends actually knew who he was.

Eri shook her head. "Nope. Dr. Sango here stopped me. Apparently he was with someone else."

Kagome nodded. Right. Someone else. Maybe this was his way of saying that he didn't need a rebound girl. Or worse, maybe this was his way of saying that he was still attached to that previous someone else. Kagome being only a temporary fix during their break or something. Sure, he may have been interested in Kagome, but he was way more interested in that special, beautiful, even fertile, someone else.

The past was a hard enemy to fight. Even Kagome was a victim of her one past relationship. While most could say that their first relationship allowed them to experiment and learn, Kagome came out with very little to show for it. Kagome really believed that if she and Hojo didn't want children, they'd never have had sex and would still be together.

Would her life be better than it was now if that was the path she had taken? There wouldn't be the restaurant; at least, she didn't think so. But it didn't do her any good to think like this. Right now, she was a single woman with a good job who was about to lose at the relationship race before she even stepped up the blocks.

"Really, what can I do?" Kagome posed the more upbeat question to her friends. This was really why she invited them over, to get their input about her next step. "I know I can't sit on my butt and wait." The girls all nodded in agreement with that statement.

"Forget about him," Yuka stated as she stuffed herself full of ice cream. "Seriously, if he was really into you, he would've made his next move by now."

Ayame, Eri and Ayumi all nodded along with Yuka's statement. Kagome looked over to Sango for her take on the matter since she hadn't nodded along with what Yuka had just said.

"It's not as easy as that. He has his own reasons for being skittish with this. He might even have a plausible reason for not saying what he should've said." The thing was, Sango didn't know. She hadn't seen or talked to Inuyasha at all because he was really out of town for work. And when they met up that Sunday for their usual weekend meetings, he never said anything about his date with Kagome. Sango would've never known that they went out on a date if Kagome hadn't called this little group gathering.

Eri shook her head, disagreeing with Sango. "Even if he did have a reason, it's no reason to string Kagome along like this. He could've said something. Even if he said there was a reason, but couldn't share it with her, at least he said something. You said he was out of town, right? Well, if he thought the date was good, he'd still call you, no matter where he was at, because he wouldn't want to lose another chance with you."

"And he's hanyou," Ayame added, "meaning he's straddling both his instincts and his emotions. Sango said he may have his reasons. One reason I can think of is that his instincts and his emotions aren't skipping along hand-in-hand, so he's struggling with what to do next."

"I didn't know that…about hanyou." Kagome slipped the spoon out of her mouth and dug it into her bowl of ice cream.

"I'm not sure if it's true or not considering his type is rare, but I can see it happening."

"Ayame's right, Kagome. Inuyasha does struggle with his abilities, his instincts and his humanity, constantly. He just internalizes it."

"So, basically you're saying that if he's struggling like this, then in the end, we're nothing? I mean, wouldn't all of these different parts about him need to be in a…uh…in alignment for him to really feel anything? And even to believe in those feelings and instincts?"

"I don't really know," Sango sadly confessed. She knew Inuyasha had an attraction to Kagome and was struggling with the idea of maybe asking her out. She could guess at how deep this attraction went, but it would only be a guess. But if that attraction was based on instinct alone, then he could harbor no real feelings for Kagome. An attraction got things started, but it can't keep the motor running all by itself. Same thing can be said about humans. "Like Ayame said, they're rare and I'm afraid I don't have any information, not even theories."

"So, I take a vote? You all seem to agree that I need to just quickly move on and you…you're too good of a friend of his and mine to really say anything at all. If that's the case, then I guess…I guess I completely end it…again."

"Are you sure that's what you want to do?"

Kagome looked up at Ayumi. "I have to be, right? For the sake of everyone and everything." She then turned to Sango. "You've known him longer. You're one of his best friends. Did he say anything to you?"

"I didn't even know he asked you out. We knew he was spending time at your restaurant eating food, hanging out with you…"

"He…he didn't tell you…about our date?"

"Well, neither did you, you snob." Yuka hollered back with a faint smile on her face.

"I told my mother and several people at work knew, so it wasn't a total secret."

"But not us, dearie." Eri said as she now dug into her ice cream.

"Inuyasha…he's private despite his loud, rude mouth. He's good at saying the right thing to hide his true feelings. He hates feeling vulnerable. Even though I've known him for quite some time now, I really don't know that much about him."

Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. Inuyasha had shared with her parts of his life, his past. She did know something about him that hardly anyone knew, even Sango. But what did that mean exactly? She was so lost.

"He…he told me about his parents, and…well…I just thought that he was trying to make a point with me."

"Inuyasha told you about his parents?" Kagome nodded at Sango's question. "Miroku and I don't even know about that."

"I thought that he was just trying to make sure that I wasn't having a child with Hojo for reasons beyond what I wanted. I was being so open about Souta's and my grandfather's deaths that I didn't know he was telling me something so private that he hadn't even shared it with his best friends."

Kagome groaned as she fell onto her side, grabbing a pillow and placing it underneath her head. "I still don't know what to do."

"Why do you make everything so complicated?" Yuka asked half-jokingly.

"I don't mean to," Kagome replied as she pulled her stuffed rabbit closer to her, Kirara finding a place next to both the bunny and Kagome.

"Then we take a break," Eri suggested. "Let me tell you about my new role as mommy to a 30-year-old man who has paraphilic infantilism. Well, kind of. Adult baby play. He likes to relive his life with me, starting out as a baby up to the point where as a teenager, he discovers sex."

"You don't do that…oh, what's it called…uh, re-birthing thing?" Ayumi inquired as the topic had seemed to quickly move from Kagome to Eri.

Yuka wildly waved her hands around in the air. "Oh, oh, I saw one of those on one of those crime drama shows."

"No, I don't do that. That's for Dr. Sango."

Sango shook her head. "I won't even touch that. Too dangerous. It's basically an attempt to wipe the slate clean, thus allowing the person to rewrite their behavior. There are more practical ways to get someone to change their behavior."

"You mean like smacking them?" Ayame teased. Sango blushed as she chose not to reply to that.

"Maybe that's a part of my problem," Kagome mused as she wasn't satisfied with everything talked about prior to Eri's attempt at a topic change.

"What? Wait. What are you talking about Kagome?" Yuka popped a huge spoonful of ice cream into her mouth as she lost track at who was talking about what.

"Maybe it's my behavior towards men that is keeping them away," Kagome suggested. She really didn't know where she was going with this and felt that maybe she was reaching.

"You mean like falling for the same type of guy?" Sango asked, used to making giant leaps in logic like this. Regular, untrained people didn't know how to accurately describe their situation and/or their feelings, and it was a part of Sango's job to connect the dots.

"That could be it," Kagome guessed, eagerly waiting to see where Sango was going to take this.

"There's a theory, just a theory really, but it's got some data to support it. Child abuse victims will grow up and seek partners that also abuse them. It follows those lines. Hojo was a workaholic and so is Inuyasha. So, a part of you seeks out this same type of guy."

Kagome carefully nibbled on her numbed bottom lip as she let the words Sango spoke slowly sink in. Even being attracted to the wrong kind of guy was still her fault and it was something she could probably control. How was she going to change this problem? At least she now knew about it.

"I guess I'm still not ready for this whole dating thing. I need to figure out the type of guy I'd want and need in my life."

"Kagome, you don't need to define your life by the man you think it needs." Yuka glanced down at the wedding band encircling her finger. "Nor do you need one to complete it. You want to find a man that compliments your life and adds to it."

"Listen to the feminist talk," Eri joked, dodging an empty can being tossed her way.

"I'm being serious. I found my life first before finding someone to share it with. I'm sharing my life. I may have had to make some little, minor adjustments, but I'm still Yuka and I still believe in my strengths as a woman. Who are you Kagome? What do you want to accomplish in your life? As Buddha says, 'You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.'"

"Yuka," Sango started, "no more dinners with Miroku."

"Actually, my husband says it to me. He says it's what he saw in me when he first met me."

"Oh Gods, this still comes down to me not being able to have children. I have the restaurant. I've accomplished that."

"Why do you have to date a guy for children?" Ayumi asked. "Why can't you just date for fun?"

"Because Ayumi, I can't do that. It's not who I am. I have fun with friends. I want to fall in love, get married and have children, but I can't. That's…that's not who I can be." Kagome sighed. She knew who she was, what she was.

"Then it's settled. Kagome…online dating. Right away your profile says 'career-minded woman searching for long-term commitment minus children' and see what comes your way."

Ayame tapped Eri on the shoulder. "That's Yuka's old profile," Ayame reminded Eri. Yuka at one time had tried one of those online dating sites to see what would happen. There were a few potentials and a whole bunch of losers.

"Why is real life so complicated?" the stormy-eyed girl whined as a yawn broke free.

Eri quickly jumped back in with her latest subject and talked nonstop, not giving Kagome another opening to insert her problems back in. They had almost talked it to death and what Kagome needed to do was to think it over before settling on any kind of decision. It was obvious that it was important for Kagome to have some kind of strong, male companionship. The hard part was finding the right one. Even if she did, Kagome was Kagome.

As Eri got detailed in her story about this man who felt he needed to relive his life over and over again, finally finding comfort in his mistakes, Kagome was starting to feel that maybe her dating problem was as childish and even as teenager-ish as this man Eri was with. Kagome figured herself to be a mature adult, and yet, she couldn't grasp its fundamentals. Teengers these days dated so carefreely and she couldn't.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's note:**

It's ready. First off, a gigantic sized kudos to my new beta renagrrl who fixes the mistakes I make because I have convinced myself that I can type perfectly in my sleep.

So, now that I have a beta, weekend updates might work better, or I'll change the update from Fridays to Mondays. But that's something that it'll be worked on later on.

I have a few things things to define and explain.

For those of you that don't know 'tween' is term used for those between the ages of 9-13. Not quite a kid and not quite a teenager. I will keep my personal comments about them to myself.

The name of Ayame's daughter, Moriko, means 'child of the forest' which is made up of the Kanji 'mori' meaning forest and 'ko' meaning child. Names ending with the 'ko' Kanji are designated for girls. Our honorable manga princess Takahashi Rumiko is another case of that. Her name, Rumiko, means 'beautiful child'.

A social gathering is a popular activity in Japan. A group of girls and a group of guys will meet up at a restaurant to dine and hopefully woo the other. In Japanese dramas, women want to go to gatherings with rich men attending so they can marry into a good life. Japanese men like to go to gatherings to see beautiful women, especially those that wear uniforms. A good example of this is the Japanese drama 'Attention Please' or even 'Beauty or Beast'.

As for the Buddha quote, it's one of my favorites. It somewhat counters many of the teachings that Christianity teaches, which says to love your neighbor. It's hard to love your neighbor if you don't love yourself, and that is what the quote is basically saying.

Lastly, here is the recipe from the first lunch Kagome and Inuyasha share together. Enjoy!

For starters, the Dim Sum wrappers used in the dish.

**Makes approximately 1 3/4 pounds**

2 cups wheat starch

3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 cups less 2 1/2 tablespoons boiling water

In a bowl, combine the wheat starch and the corn starch and add the boiling water, stirring with a wooden dowel until fully incorporated, about 3 to 5 minutes, water must be boiling hot. Remove dough, place on counter and knead until smooth, about 8 to10 minutes. Form dough into a ball and cover with a damp towel so that dough does not dry out. To form dim sum wrappers, roll dough into a 1-inch diameter log and cut into 1-inch pieces. Using an oiled cleaver or oiled tortilla press, press each piece into a very thin round. Fill as desired, steam, and either serve immediately or freeze.

**Serves 4**

8 ounces lamb shoulder, coarsely ground

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon brandy or whiskey

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/4 cup light virgin olive oil or soybean oil

1/2 cup finely chopped shallots (about 2 large)

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon curry powder

2 jalapeño peppers, stems removed and finely chopped

1 cup finely chopped fresh shiitake mushrooms (about 5 medium)

16 Dim Sum Wrappers

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 cup chicken stock

1 teaspoon tapioca powder mixed with 1 tablespoon water

1 cup peeled grape tomatoes

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Tiny basil or cilantro leaves for garnish

In a medium bowl, mix the ground lamb with soy sauce, brandy and sesame oil. Cover and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small saucepan over high heat, add shallots and cook until soft, about 1 minute. Add 1 tablespoon of the curry powder and jalapeño peppers and cook for 30 seconds. Mix in the chopped shiitake mushrooms, stir and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove from the heat, transfer to a large bowl and allow to cool. Add the marinated lamb to the curried mushrooms and mix well.

Set a small bowl of water to one side. Place 1 wrapper at a time on a clean dry surface. Using your fingers, moisten the edges of the wrapper and spoon 1 tablespoon of lamb filling in the center. Fold one side of the wrapper over the filling, then roll the wrapper to cover; pinch to seal both open ends. Repeat, making approximately 16 curried lamb rolls.

Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil, then place half (8 pieces) of the lamb rolls into the skillet. Pour 3 tablespoons of water into the skillet, cover tightly and cook for about 5 minutes. The bottoms of the rolls will turn golden and become crisp; the meat should be cooked through. Remove and keep warm. Repeat with the remaining rolls, adding an extra tablespoon of oil, if needed.

In the meantime, heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan over high heat, add the garlic and remaining teaspoon of curry powder, and cook for about 1 minute, just until the garlic is lightly golden. Add the stock and tapioca, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Turn the heat to medium and add the tomatoes; cook for 30 seconds, just until they are hot. The tomatoes should be slightly softened but still hold their shape. Turn off the heat and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.

Place 4 curried lamb rolls on each of 4 serving plates, crispy side up. Spoon the sauce over them, decorate with the basil or cilantro leaves and serve.

There you go. Have a great weekend!

roshully


	21. Chapter 21

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Twenty and OneYakity-Yak**

Inuyasha safely made it home from his overseas trip and spent Monday sleeping off his jetlag. Since he was hanyou, it didn't affect him so much, however, he wouldn't risk helping his patients after a trip like that. Miroku had whined about not having a layover in Hawaii and that alone was enough to keep Inuyasha in bed with a headache.

What he was really looking forward to was Tuesday. The restaurant would be open and he would be able to see Kagome again. He had practically lived in his leather jacket all week, as the animal hide had taken on her scent ever so faintly and it was her signature odor that kept him sane during the weeklong conference so far away. And despite the numerous Japanese restaurants in Seattle, it wasn't the food she had created. He was missing and maybe even craving her.

He woke up early, ready to take work head-on so he could spend as much time with Kagome as he possibly could. His afternoon schedule was completely clear after two o'clock and whatever paperwork waited for him could be taken to the restaurant. Three hours with Kagome, he really just couldn't wait.

In his eagerness to meet up with Kagome, Inuyasha arrived a little earlier for their usual lunch date and headed up the stairs into the bar, sitting down at their usual table to wait for her. Pulling out his laptop and some files, he settled into doing some work until Kagome was done with whatever it was she did before lunch.

Jakotsu sashayed on over with a glass for the hot-looking hanyou. Jakotsu was hoping the hanyou would look at him, maybe even smile, but Inuyasha did nothing to acknowledge the bartender's presence or even say anything about the water. Shrugging his shoulders, Jakotsu headed back to the bar so he could continue to daydream while he worked.

Rin slowly made her way up to the bar as she needed to talk to Jakotsu about the drink specials for the night. When she noticed the silver hair, she excused herself, carefully making her way to the irate hanyou. She knew she couldn't sneak up on him. Slowly, she peered over his shoulders to get a sneak peek at what he was working on.

"What?" he snapped at her intrusion.

"Nothing," she sweetly replied before standing back up. Rin slid into the chair next to him, staring at him for a long while before finally asking him a question. "What are you doing here?"

Inuyasha looked up and over at her as if she had suddenly lost all sense or reason. "It's lunch time."

"Actually, lunch is over with."

"You know what I mean."

Rin shrugged. "Dining alone?"

"No and you fuckin' know that."

"How am I supposed to know that? Kagome's not here and wasn't planning on being here all day, so I thought you might be here with someone else."

Inuyasha painfully gasped at Rin's wild statement. "S-someone else?"

"Well yeah," Rin blurted out snobbishly, not meaning to come off as that rude. "It's not a nice thing to do. You won't be getting free food. I'll make sure of that."

"What the fuck are you babbling on about?"

"I guess maybe I don't really know. Kagome hasn't been herself lately and is not as chatty. So, you can explain it to me."

"I'm not explaining shit to you. Tell me where Kagome is."

"I don't know. There's a special promotion she's working on and has kept herself occupied with that. In fact, now that you mention it, I haven't seen her since Saturday night. I think Bankotsu opened the restaurant today."

Inuyasha quickly grabbed all of his belongings together, planning to worry about its order later. He slung the bag carrying his laptop and papers over his shoulder, snagged his coat off the back of the chair, and jogged toward the stairs. Rin stared at him, her large eyes wide with wonder. What was going on?

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Miroku…" Inuyasha yelled as he burst through Miroku's office door at the clinic. He didn't care if Miroku was with a patient or not. None of that mattered right now.

"Inuyasha is there something I can do for you?" Miroku asked as he shuffled some papers around. He thanked Buddha that his last patient had just left. A traditional Inuyasha outburst like that would send any patient packing. And this newest one was pretty, cute, and young, just to get started.

"Where's Sango?"

"In her office," Miroku calmly guessed. He hadn't talked to her since lunch, both having afternoon appointments to attend to.

"No," he snapped back, falling down into one of the chairs in front of Miroku's desk. Inuyasha gripped the leather-covered handles of the chair to the point where he could hear the wood cracking underneath his strength.

"Inuyasha, leave the chair alone. It didn't do anything to you." Inuyasha pulled his hands away, crossing his arms across his chest instead to keep himself from destroying something else in Miroku's office. "Now, why are you looking for Sango?"

Inuyasha just turned away. Damn Miroku. Inuyasha didn't know how he did it, but Miroku had his ways of fishing for information. He could try to get Sango's whereabouts without having to divulge too much personal information.

"What, you can't talk to me about it?" Miroku inquired. Inuyasha had been acting strange all last week. Maybe taking Inuyasha to that sushi bar in Seattle wasn't the best idea. This sushi bar offered _nyotaimori_, 'body sushi,' and that particular American woman was quite beautiful. Miroku just figured Inuyasha wasn't in the mood for sushi that night.

"No."

"I know this isn't work-related." Inuyasha shot Miroku a confused glance. "You've been edgy all week. And it wasn't until the plane landed that you finally took a calming breath. So, would you like to talk about it or what?"

"Fuck," he muttered loud enough for Miroku to catch it. Maybe talking to Miroku wouldn't be such a bad idea. He was a friend of Kagome's and he might be able to offer some insight on how her mind works. "Fine."

"Don't make it sound like I twisted your arm or anything. I am your friend and if I can, I would like to help you, but you have to let me. You tell me nothing and I can only tell you nothing."

And Miroku made his point. He did need help because he had no clue about what to do. He knew what he could do. In any normal situation, he would just act on instinct. But this wasn't any normal situation. He hated to ask for help.

"Fine. But if you say one smart-ass remark-"

"I know. I know. You'll make me into your little sister. I have been duly warned."

"Glad you understand." Inuyasha took in a deep breath, his mind trying to secure the best approach. Ah, who was he kidding? "I went out with Kagome…on a date."

"When did you do this?"

"Last Saturday, before our trip."

"How'd it go?"

Inuyasha just shrugged. "Good, I guess. I had a fine time. She said it was good."

"Then what's the problem? I'm not seeing why you're so worked up."

"I don't know. Fuck. Tuesday I went to the restaurant to tell her that I was going out of town for a week for work and I went to the restaurant today to find out not only that she wasn't there, but that she wasn't expecting me to even fuckin' show up."

"So you showed up at her place of work a few days after the date to tell her you were leaving for work."

"Basically. Yeah."

Miroku just shook his head sadly at the poor hanyou sitting in front of him. Inuyasha really had no idea about how dating or even girls worked. Guys were different, but only on the outside. Girls, as much as guys, needed to hear certain things about themselves for reassurance. Even guys needed praise and not just for an ego boost either. Inuyasha didn't know how to hand out free praise.

"You really fucked up this one, didn't you?"

Inuyasha knew that, but he didn't need Miroku to actually say it. Kagome not present at the restaurant was a big clue that something was messed up big time. The thing was, he didn't know what he did to piss her off.

"And I'm sure that the reason you can't find Sango may be directly related to this."

Inuyasha now knew Miroku knew something about what may be going on.

"What the fuck did I do?"

"You didn't call her to tell her that you had a great time and that you'd like to do it again. Instead, you make her freak out and wait to hear from you. And when you do show up to say something, all you can say is that you're leaving town. Nice touch Inuyasha."

Inuyasha normally wasn't too affected by anything anyone told him. It was a trait he quickly learned a long time ago. But somehow, Kagome, or just the topic of Kagome, found a crack in his shell and was able to torment him like nothing else.

"You almost seem no different than Hojo."

"Fuck you!" Inuyasha roared out.

"No thanks." Miroku kept his face serene-looking, hoping to avoid any more anger from the hanyou. "And while you were floating on cloud nine, she was probably devaluing her self-worth, dissecting every word she said, every move she made, wondering where it all went wrong, blaming herself and only herself. I talk to women all day long. This is what they do. Girls blame themselves for being raped or having sex when they weren't ready, or for abortions. All girls are their own psychoanalysts."

Miroku leaned back in his chair, finding it difficult to watch Inuyasha suffer like this. Kagome was suffering all week long. But they were both suffering now. They were both guilty of being unable to communicate. Even he and Sango were guilty of the same thing. Miroku had been unable to tell Sango that she really was the only woman he needed, wanted. Sango had been afraid to give up her strength and independence. It took a while for them to build the bridge of trust that finally allowed them to come together, face to face, and finally talk it all out.

"Kagome is a different kind of girl. And I know that on some level, you know that," Miroku continued. "Kagome took a big chance with you. And you, deep down in that thick head of yours, truly understand that. I'm not one to believe that hanyou are somehow less worthy or any of that crap. Neither does Sango. And neither does Kagome."

"Fuck…"

"Yeah, I guess that just about accurately describes this mess. Now, what you need to ask yourself is if you are going to fix this and, if you are, how." Miroku paused for a moment as a question begging to be asked pushed to the forefront of his mind. "You do like her, right?"

For a moment there, Miroku thought that maybe Inuyasha had second thoughts about Kagome. That the date somehow either confirmed or denied feelings he had, or at least he thought he had.

Inuyasha went that whole week in Seattle not saying one word about taking Kagome out on a date. Miroku understood that Inuyasha was a very private person and that he was the type who thought he could handle everything on his own. If the date told Inuyasha that there was no potential for what he was looking for, then…well, it actually couldn't be that.

"Yeah…I do…" Inuyasha softly confessed. "I…" He didn't know he had hurt her. Never did he think he could hurt her. He felt like absolute shit and realized that only he could fix this. If he hurt her, then he would be the one to heal her.

"Let me talk to Sango. I think Kagome and the girls may have gotten together, meaning Sango only knows about Kagome's side of the story."

"What you mean is that Sango's pissed off at me."

"Well, that is one way of putting it. You can't blame her. Sango's found something in Kagome that she's never really had. Plus, we're both being put in the middle since we're both your friends. Neither one of use wants to lose either of you as a friend."

"How the hell do I fix it?" Inuyasha accidentally asked. It was meant to be a private thought, but it was too late now as he found Miroku curiously glancing at him.

"You have to tell her how you feel. I know that the very idea makes you uncomfortable, but if you believe she's worth it, then she has to know or…or you risk losing her completely."

Inuyasha froze as those paramount words permeated his thick head. Completely…lose…Kagome…He couldn't even begin to comprehend exactly what that meant for him. When she'd just disappeared that first time, he struggled, but he survived and moved on. But, after their date, and having that first taste of their kiss, every single cell, his entire being, not only craved her, but that maybe…

No, he couldn't even think that. It was too much too soon. Way too soon. That unthinkable thought was the biggest reason he hadn't contacted Kagome right away. He just needed to get a handle on his thoughts.

"Inuyasha if you like her then, why…?" Miroku didn't finish his question afraid that maybe he had said too much already and that his hanyou friend needed some time alone to get organized.

"Sundays are spent with her mom and I didn't want to intrude. I figured I could mention something Tuesday."

Now Miroku understood why Inuyasha was so bothered by the trip and where he'd gone to when Inuyasha had rushed off before their flight. Sesshoumaru and the other board members would surely feel the wrath of Inuyasha at their next board meeting. He'd blame them for sending him on that trip, thus ruining the good terms he had with Kagome. As if Inuyasha couldn't hate his brother even more.

Inuyasha stood up. Nothing would get fixed sitting in that chair chatting on with Miroku. He needed to find Kagome as soon as possible. But he didn't want to bother her at work. There had to be a time during the week when she wasn't at that damned restaurant. Even he could leave work at work and head home. He knew where he had to go, but wasn't sure what to do. He'd figure it out on the way there.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Inuyasha, please come in."

Inuyasha stepped into the house as the door closed behind him. He slipped off his shoes and kicked them to the side. Following his host, Inuyasha made his way into the kitchen where he was offered a seat.

"It's good to see you again," Mama Higurashi greeted the young hanyou. "Would you like tea? Or do you prefer something else?"

"Tea's fine."

She quickly dispensed some hot water from the automatic tea maker Kagome recently bought her and added some macha powder to the tea cup. Using a bamboo whisk, she quickly beat the powder and liquid together. Carrying the two cups over, Mama Higurashi set them down on the table before taking the seat across from him.

Inuyasha took the cup and stared at it instead of drinking any of the semi-opaque liquid. He felt shamed. Here he was about to tell Mama Higurashi that he hurt her daughter for his own somewhat illogical reasons. This woman had been nothing but nice and understanding towards him. Hurting Kagome also hurt Mama Higurashi.

"Inuyasha, I have an idea about why you are here."

He looked up at her, shocked of what she had said and shocked by what he could sense from her. This couldn't be real.

"I do not know your particular reasons, but what happened after the date is not only your fault, but partially Kagome's as well."

"No," he quickly said. This wasn't Kagome's fault.

"Yes. You are both at fault. Kagome, and maybe even you, are shy, scared, and unsure about this dating thing because it's new. In my day, the male did all of the advancing, all of the courting. But now, both sexes are equally responsible."

"I should've called."

"Yes, you should have, but you didn't. But you're a young man and were most likely confused about your feelings. Seeing you here means that you've come to some conclusion."

He could only nod his head at her. This woman confused him. She was just too damn nice—that and she reminded him of his own mother. His mother was just as accepting of him as Mama Higurashi and Kagome both were.

"Is Kagome here?" he finally asked after the long silence.

"No. You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"Oh dear."

"What is it?"

"Kagome doesn't really live here."

"She doesn't have an apartment. I know that much." Kagome had mentioned that she was saving up money so that one day she could move into her own place and was also looking forward to getting together with some interior designer friend of hers and having fun.

"No, she doesn't."

"Then where is she?"

Mama Higurashi frowned. "If I tell you, will you not be angry at her for it?"

That had Inuyasha worried. It could mean anything. Had she run off to that guy who had helped her move out of Hojo's place? He still didn't know who that guy was or what he meant to Kagome.

He nodded at her request. If Mama Higurashi was comfortable with Kagome's arrangement, then he could be too. She would never allow Kagome to be in a harmful situation if she could avoid it. Inuyasha knew that much about Mama Higurashi.

"Good. And please talk to her. She is a strong and understanding girl."

Inuyasha remained quiet as Mama Higurashi explained Kagome's sleeping arrangements. She was as far to explain Kagome's routine and when he could find a private time to talk to her daughter. When she finished and Inuyasha left, she hoped the hanyou would speak to Kagome as soon as possible. They both needed it.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome tried to laugh along with the man who was doing a fairly decent job at telling her a story about something. What was he talking about? She really had no idea. Her mind wouldn't let her concentrate on the words flying out of his mouth.

Instead, her mind was playing very mean tricks on her. Why was she comparing this strange guy to Inuyasha? She missed his rude and brash behavior, the way his ears twitched, how the apple of his cheeks would blush if she caught him actually being nice. She wanted to get lost in his golden eyes one more time. And even though the weather was finally getting warmer as they neared springtime, how she wouldn't mind being warmed up in his arms.

A yawn woke her up from her thoughts. She felt embarrassed that this nice guy who had spent the last hour trying to impress her caught her yawning. "Sorry. It's been a long day."

The dessert promotion was starting next week. She was up at four 'o'clock this morning, getting ready so she could do her interview for the morning TV show, as well as making a sweet red bean paste-filled tamale, a dessert that would be available at the restaurant as a way to kick off the spring season. Then later on, she had to place orders for ingredients and new dinnerware. Each dessert was to be presented on its own unique bowl or plate. The company that they ordered their china through was using the dessert promotion to advertise their new spring line.

There was also the extra training of the chefs. Kagome didn't want to bring in a whole new crew of specialty chefs since they weren't sure how well the dessert promotion was going to work. There was a lot riding on this. Not just for her, but for Shippo and the whole restaurant crew. It was another 'make-it or break-it' moment.

Kagome checked her watch. It was nearing eleven. Was it that late already? There was still so much more to do tomorrow. Another morning interview, a radio segment, and something for the newspaper, was on her agenda. She was starting to lose track of it all. "I'm going to have to call it a night. Please excuse me."

Kagome didn't even allow the guy a chance to say anything else as she quickly went down the stairs, jogging through the empty restaurant to her office. The couch called to her, beckoning her to a short sleep. Opening the storage closet, she pulled out the blankets and pillows, tossing them onto the couch. Before making the bed, Kagome stepped inside the storage closet so she could slip out of her work clothes and into her pajamas.

Closing the storage closet door shut, she returned to the bed and, in sloppy haste, put something together that she could sleep on. Kagome climbed in underneath the covers and laid there. Yet, as the seconds ticked on by, she knew she would need a little help at actually getting to sleep.

Throwing the covers off, she stood up and walked along the cool tile floor into the kitchen to make herself some lavender tea that would wash down the sleeping aid she planned on taking. Normally, she fell asleep in a fairly quick manner, but lately, with the dessert promotion and the whole Inuyasha thing, she was completely exhausted, and yet she couldn't sleep.

Once the tea was brewed, she carried the warm ceramic cup with her to the office, blowing at the scalding liquid to get it to the right temperature so she could drink it and get to sleep. All she wanted, and what she really needed right now, was a good deep sleep.

"K-Kagome…"

Kagome spun around so fast to the sound of her name that the cup of tea dropped out of her hand and onto the floor. The fragile ceramic cup broke into tiny pieces, spilling the hot liquid all over.

"Ow," Kagome cried out as the liquid splattered on her feet. She stumbled backwards to remove herself from harm's way, her foot slipping against the wet tile. Warm hands held onto her arms, steadying her upright. Kagome twisted around in his embrace, finding those golden eyes she had longed to see again looking back down at her. Did he really move that fast? Frightened by their intensity, Kagome backed away, walking into the sharpened mess she had created.

"Ow," she exclaimed again, hopping around with a piece of shattered tea cup stuck in the bottom of her foot.

"Damn wench," Inuyasha scolded her as he walked over to her, picking her up, cradling her in his arms and carrying her into the manager's office, setting her down on the couch-bed. "Give me your foot."

"It's okay. I can take care of it," Kagome said as she tried to pry her foot away from Inuyasha's grasp. Even if she wanted to see him again, she wasn't ready to. She had spent this whole week so utterly confused that she didn't even know who she was. And by not knowing who she was, she didn't know what she really needed.

Her most basic needs had to be met. Sure, she got food, water, and sleep. But also on the bottom of Maslow's hierarchy of needs was safety and love. Kagome knew she needed both, but which one to sacrifice first to satisfy the other? Love wasn't always safe, but there was safety to be found in love. Kagome wanted to find peace and security in the arms of a man she could love and offer the same to the man who could love her back.

Inuyasha wouldn't let go of her foot, no matter how much she struggled. He lifted it up, inspecting the damage with his enhanced senses. Using his claws, he plucked the broken ceramic piece out of her foot. Searching around, he grabbed the nearest piece of material and held it up against her foot to stop the blood flow.

"There's a first aid kit underneath my desk," she informed him. He only nodded before turning and reaching back, his hand feeling around until he felt the familiar plastic feel of typical first aid kits. He opened it up, pulled out some disinfectant and rubbed it over and all around the cut. His ears flattened against his head at the sound of her hiss.

"Sorry," he said softly as he continued to treat the cut. He placed a gauze pad at the bottom of her foot and then wrapped some strips of material around her foot to keep the gauze in place.

Pulling back, he closed up the kit and slid it back to its position underneath her desk. Kagome carefully placed her foot on the ground, but avoided adding any extra pressure on it.

"Thanks," she replied as she tugged on the bottom hem of her nightshirt.

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders like he normally did when anyone tried to show him any gratitude.

"What brings you here?" she asked as she avoided his gaze.

Inuyasha leaned up against the back of her desk, extending his right leg out along the floor and bending his left one up, casually draping his left arm over it. He figured he'd better get comfortable now. This was probably going to be one of those ridiculously long conversations. Women were notorious for those things, or at least that's what he'd heard. But for Kagome…

"I'd like to know what's going on," Inuyasha calmly began. He didn't know why Kagome was all wigged out, so he thought he'd ask. That way, he'd save himself from the embarrassment of saying the wrong thing. This was one of those few times when he would really have to try to think before speaking.

Kagome's mouth fell open and then she quickly shut it. "W-what do you mean?"

"You didn't tell me you weren't going to be around for lunch."

"And you never told me that you were," she quietly and calmly shot back.

"Where the fuck did you get that from?"

"From you," she replied quickly. "Look…I get it, kind of. You were trying to spare me from something painful. It didn't work out and that's okay." Kagome had to concentrate in order to keep her voice steady. Focusing on the stitching of her blanket helped her with that.

"We had one date. What can that tell you about anything?"

"A lot," she snapped back. Realizing how rude she was sounding, she took a deep breath to calm back down. "Look, I don't mean to be mean like this, but I'm very tired and I have an early day tomorrow."

"No. I'm not going anywhere until you tell me what's really going on here."

Why was he making this so hard on her? She already went through the 'let's-examine-Kagome's-insecurities' sideshow with her friends Sunday night. She didn't want to say it to the guy who brought her insecurities to the surface and how damaged she really was.

"I don't know," she said, the promise of falling tears in her voice. "I don't know what I did wrong. And even if I did, it's…it's too late now."

"Too late? Too late? Too late for what? Sounds like you're giving up."

"Giving up what? Was there something to actually give up? Because I…I would like to know. You…you came only to tell me that you were leaving the country." Kagome could feel something inside of her growing, a strength she once had. "You didn't tell me if you had fun or…or…or if you even wanted to ever see me again."

"I told you it was all right when I dropped you off."

"So? Maybe you were trying to be nice. But that doesn't tell me anything about how you felt afterwards, when you had time to think about it."

"Keh, I don't think like that."

"But I do." Kagome still couldn't look him in the eyes, but she was getting closer. "I guess that last time I went out on dates was when Hojo and I first got together, six years ago. I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't know how to date. I didn't even know how to kiss. When you said nothing, how was I supposed to know?"

"I was scared, all right." Inuyasha paused. "I was a little pissed too. I hate the phone. I…I can't smell anything. I wanted to talk about it in person during our usual lunch time, but instead I got sent to Seattle."

"What was going on there?"

"Just a conference on fertility. I didn't even know about it until that fuckin' morning."

"Oh."

"And don't think you were the only one scared shitless."

Kagome finally looked at him and found him staring right back at her. She had to gulp. The look in those golden eyes, they told her so much, more than he could say. Sango was right. Inuyasha did have his own reasons. He too had his own personal insecurities that tied him down.

Kagome cast her eyes downward, ashamed for not giving Inuyasha his chance to plead his case. She was too busy trying to protect her own heart that…that she forgot that Inuyasha had one, too.

"It seemed that you were okay with being friends with a hanyou, but what about going out with one? We still get treated like shit despite the so-called progress that's been made."

"I would never…" Kagome cried out. Is that what he thought about her? No, she could see it. But that idea alone scared him. "I've never thought that."

Inuyasha couldn't control the warm swelling those words brought on. He wanted to believe that Kagome could be different than all of those other girls he had flings with. And now he could. He could sense no deception on her part. Ever since they renewed their friendship, she had been nothing but honest with him, at least on the light-hearted subjects they, well, mainly she, talked about.

"Well, now I know."

"Right." So, he knew what he needed to know. Now it was her turn. What were her hang-ups? What did she feel needed to be fixed?

"Kagome…" But how to ask her without making her all emotional? He didn't need her to cry. "I…" He paused as the words zoomed around in his brain. "Fuck," he whispered. This wasn't how he wanted it to go. "Can we try it again?"

"Eh? What again?"

"Dating. Another date. I should've called, I guess," he said remembering his earlier conversation with Miroku and Mama Higurashi. Damn that guy, as well as his obsession with the opposite sex. But Miroku did have some insight into the female gender that wasn't completely useless.

"Is that what you really want?"

"It's what I said, isn't it? Damn, your hearing really needs to be checked."

Kagome narrowed her eyes at his crack at her. If she wasn't so tired…She then sighed, relaxing her features. She was just too tired right now. Concentrating on anything was getting harder as her thoughts were getting fuzzy. She had already been up for twenty hours and figured she had another twenty-hour day ahead of her.

Opening her mouth to reply, a yawn escaped instead. She slapped her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry." Kagome shook her head, trying to shake out the sleepiness from her brain. She couldn't end this like it was now. She still had so much to say.

Inuyasha stood up and walked over to her. "Go to sleep," he commanded her softly.

"No, I can still stay up," Kagome argued back, determined to get through this, even if she didn't get any sleep.

"Just go to bed," he shot back.

"No, I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You need to get to bed."

"Well, if you didn't come over here so late, I could get some sleep."

"And if you hadn't skipped lunch, then I wouldn't have had to drag my ass out here so late."

"Yea, well, next time, tell me that I'm a decent enough date. Or that even if I couldn't kiss well, you might find it in your heart to forgive me and give me another chance."

"This is about…a kiss?" He wasn't expecting that.

Kagome stopped, her eyes wide and face flushed from both their little banter and from the fact that she wanted to keep that tidbit private. Whoops.

"Kinda," she sheepishly confessed. "I…I have some of my own issues to work on, okay."

"Don't worry about the kissing, that…" he stopped when he noticed her really staring at him. Blushing, he looked away. "Keh, it was okay." He gruffly finished.

Kagome sighed. At least Inuyasha hadn't changed. That was comforting. She didn't want to date a different man, or one that would change while they were dating. She really didn't need him to transform into something he felt he needed to be to see her.

"That's good…to…know…" she yawned out.

"Go to sleep."

"But we need to talk."

"And we can talk tomorrow. Lunch."

Kagome eyed him suspiciously. "Is this about the food?"

"No. It's…I don't have any appointments at that time."

"Okay. Usual lunch time. And we have to talk."

"Keh…"

"No 'keh' or 'feh,' I'm serious. I never really talk about my problems to the one that really needs to hear them."

"Fine. Go to sleep."

Kagome slid back on the couch, grabbing the blankets and pulling them up so she could slip in underneath them. She was surprised, but too tired to show it, when Inuyasha took hold of the blanket to help tuck her in. Once Kagome was settled in, Inuyasha laid the blanket back down and tucked in the edges. He stopped when he realized what he was doing, and why.

"Thanks," she whispered, smiling at the hint of blush on his handsome face.

"You better get some sleep."

"I will."

"And you better be here for lunch."

"That too."

"I better go."

Kagome smirked as her eyes fluttered shut. "Good night…"

In a split moment, Inuyasha found himself standing back up, eyes wide from what he'd just done. Seeing Kagome make herself even more comfortable as she fell asleep with a faint smile on her face made him pause before deciding that it was okay. Sometimes, his human side did come in handy.

Quietly, he left her office, closing the door behind him before sneaking out of the restaurant and to his truck for the ride home. Things weren't completely patched up, but he couldn't complain. It was all going to get better, he could tell.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome happily awoke at the blaring sound of her alarm clock. It wasn't sleep, but just a nap, a nice, restful four-hour nap. Kagome didn't get up right away, but snuggled deeply into the blankets grinning like a cat. Last night was a bit of a blur due to her exhaustion. But one thing felt real enough. It was so sweet, and unexpected.

Kagome threw off the blankets and sat up, stretching her entire body out. "Ow…" she hoarsely hissed. Right, her foot…Inuyasha had bandaged that up for her. That was real. Standing up, she tried to avoid putting too much pressure on the wound, causing her to limp around. This wouldn't do her any good. She had to walk to the TV station for her interview.

Gathering up the blankets so they could be put away, Kagome stopped. She reached her hand up, touching her forehead. It felt different, warm. Her fingers lightly brushed what remained of the tender good night kiss he had planted there. She giggled at the thought of a flower sprouting up from that spot. Closing her eyes, she could easily recall what had happened. Inuyasha tucked her in and never had she felt so comfortable in that bed before. She looked up at him, her half-lidded eyes trying to focus on him before she couldn't fight it anymore and they had to shut close. She could feel his soft hair tickle her face as it fell around her and then, she could feel him, the warmth of him radiating onto her. His soft lips grazed her forehead before pulling away. She couldn't help but smile. It was the sweetest gesture on his part.

Today was already shaping up to be a good day. If it continued, she'd have the confidence to face her fears and confess them to Inuyasha.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome knew she was running on nothing but a strange potion of sugar, caffeine, the unknown ingredients of energy drinks, and some of her own adrenaline all shaken together. She'd woke up, ate a quick breakfast of cereal, toast and some juice, before heading to the TV station. There they worked on her hair and makeup for the segment preparing her planned almond-roca dessert. She wanted to make something different from the previous segment.

Afterwards, she went to the radio station where she talked to a host of some show about restaurants and cuisine. They talked about the dessert promotion, and the benefits and drawbacks of this type of education. Kagome felt that it was a well-rounded discussion on the modern restaurant business and educating the new generation. The older generation was afraid of the young losing their ties to the food that defined Japanese cuisine. Kagome asserted that change was inevitable, pointing out staple foods of the Japanese palate that weren't always on the menu.

All of that, and her day wasn't even half over. The biggest obstacle was approaching the continuing talk with Inuyasha. Just the fact that he wanted to have some kind of discussion about what happened—or didn't happen—was good news. He was still interested in her. That was something to be excited about.

When she was done with her morning appointments, Kagome made her way into the kitchen to check on the lunch staff and to verify the dinner special for the night. It had to be good. She would be sharing that meal with him while holding a discussion that could very well change both of their lives.

"Shippo…what's our special?" Kagome felt bad about not keeping up with their schedule for this week. Normally, she was on top of everything, but, with the dessert promotion and her confusing personal life, things were just slipping past her.

"I think it's the duck breasts," Shippo hollered over the pan of stir fry he was working on.

"Is the mole sauce for that ready? I wanna taste it." Kagome headed over to the fridge and examined the collection of pots and bowls that held the in-house created sauces. She had found a large sauté pan that held a dark brown colored thick sauce. Dipping her pinky into the sauce, she tasted it. "Did you make any more of this mole sauce in varying degrees of heat?"

"I don't think so," Shippo answered as he stood next to Kagome, wiping his hands along the soiled white top of his chef's uniform. "Do you want us to?"

"Yeah. Those with sensitive taste buds won't be able to enjoy the meal."

"I suppose so…"

"Shippo, it's not 'I suppose so'…we want all of our customers, a very diverse population I might add, to enjoy our meals. Without them, we're out of a job. Without them, we lose the very reasons why we enjoy cooking for others."

Shippo nodded. Kagome was right. And she believed in those words, as well. He took the prepared mole sauce from Kagome and stared at it. "So, what should I do?"

"What do you think you should do?"

"I need to make the mole sauce more mild, but I'd still like it to have some kick to it. It just wouldn't be a mole sauce without packing a punch."

"You're on the right track. I'll let you figure it out. However, I need two plates of this by two. One with the original mole sauce and the other with the milder version. I'll make the wait staff aware of the versions so they can offer it to the customers."

"Oh, I get it. Inuyasha is going to be eating. He's got a sensitive tongue, doesn't he?"

Kagome felt like a ripened tomato at the moment. Oh, the many meanings of that statement. "Er…yeah. Hanyou senses. But, he won't be the only one."

"Sure, whatever Kagome."

"Just make the mole sauce." Kagome said, smiling at the kitsune youkai.

Shippo was one of her best and favorite students as he was always so curious and eager to learn about the trade. But he was still young, even in youkai terms, as he entered culinary school right out of high school. He was still discovering his own reasons for cooking, and learning to make the skill and talent he had completely his own. Kagome wouldn't always be around to guide him.

"Sure thing," he replied cheerfully, heading over to the stove to prepare a milder batch of the sauce. Kagome was right. As a chef-in-training, he'd grown accustomed to the wide range of tastes and temperatures. Sometimes he forgot about the customers because he hardly interacted with them.

"I'll be in my office if you need anything," Kagome hollered from behind her shoulder as she left the kitchen in the hands of her chefs. Once inside her office, she plopped down in her chair and looked up at her computer screen.

In the back of her mind, she thought about which things she could safely bring up with Inuyasha. Children and marriage were most definitely off the table. That topic required serious and long-term commitment from both of them, and they'd only had their first date. Her fears about sex could probably wait as well. She didn't see that happening too soon either.

What did that leave her with? Communication. They just needed to talk honestly. This lunch conversation wouldn't be necessary if one of them had just picked up the phone and said something. And now that she knew he didn't like talking on the phone, they would have to work on something else that would work.

Hunkering down, Kagome decided to spend the time she had before lunch to get as much of her work done as possible. She didn't want to be distracted by anything when lunch came around. It would show Inuyasha that she really wanted a second chance.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Two 'o'clock came around a lot sooner than either one of them had expected. Inuyasha cursed at the clock as he raced through the streets to get to _KenSen_ on time. He had a procedure earlier in the day and things didn't go so smoothly as they accidentally discovered that the woman was allergic to something used during the procedure. So, instead of treating her for infertility, they had to stabilize her long enough until the ambulance arrived to pick her up.

Then, he had to push back his other appointments so he could fill out paperwork on her so that her primary physician could test her for exactly what it was she was allergic to. He didn't even feel bad about rushing through the later appointments. Only Kagome was on his mind.

He felt much better as his truck pulled into the _KenSen_ parking garage. After stepping out and slamming his door shut, he brushed his claws though his thick hair, releasing it from the braid he was required to wear for work. It was such a relief to have his hair down and free. So many things in his life were constricted and bound by rules that he took any kind of freedom he could.

Inside the restaurant and up the stairs, he found Kagome already at their usual table. She looked up at him and smiled. He couldn't help but smile back. And the way she looked at him, her eyes…those gorgeous stormy eyes…that's one storm he wouldn't mind getting caught in.

"Hey," he quickly said as he took his seat across from her. He slipped out of his jacket, draping it over the back of the chair. The bag with his work in it was set on the floor, tucked carefully underneath his chair.

"Hi," Kagome answered back. "You okay?"

"Keh," he muttered, shrugging his shoulders. "Had an incident at work."

"Oh my Gods…is everything all right?"

"She'll live."

"She'll live? Is she all right though? No permanent damage or anything?"

"Don't think so."

"Oh…okay then." Kagome wasn't sure what to say. She wasn't a doctor and decided that it was just best to drop that topic. "So, other than that, has your day been good?"

"It'll get better."

"Right…well…" Kagome strained to get the words out. How does one just start a conversation that needs to be discussed, but was difficult to? She startled to chuckle she was so nervous. "So…last night…"

"I said my bit."

"Oh." Kagome took a deep breath. This was really the moment of truth, the moment when being honest meant everything. "Eh, how about something to drink before the food arrives?" Kagome stood up out of her chair. "Please wait here just one moment."

She hurried over to the bar as Jakotsu was doing an errand. She knew her way around the bar, partially…But, she wasn't very experienced at mixing alcoholic beverages. It didn't matter, they weren't going to be drinking anything. Though, she wondered if maybe a little something would help her become braver. But if she wanted to talk without slurring, not make a fool of herself, and actually remember it…she'd have to pass.

"Ah, there you are."

Kagome looked up to find the guy from last night sitting at the bar, hands politely folded. He was smiling at her with this goofy grin that scared Kagome just a little bit. "Uh…hi?" She didn't even get his name. He just started talking and it somehow ended up getting directed at her.

Glancing back down, Kagome worked on the beverages for her and Inuyasha. She wanted something other than water or tea. Inuyasha probably would need either water or milk for the food in case Shippo didn't make it mild enough.

"What are you doing?"

Kagome sighed. "I'm making some drinks." She needed to hurry and get back over to Inuyasha.

"Have you eaten lunch yet?"

"What?" Kagome asked a bit surprised.

"Lunch."

"Uh…l-lunch…n-now…with you?"

"Of course."

Kagome glanced up and over at Inuyasha. "I'm kinda busy."

"Really?" He turned to look over at the back of Inuyasha. "With that customer?"

"He's not my customer, he's my lunch date."

"Lunch date? Him?" The man glanced back over at Inuyasha. He immediately noticed the long silver hair. His eyes traced up along the back of Inuyasha stopping momentarily. "That hanyou?"

"You mean Inuyasha?"

"Who cares what his name is? What did he do to you?"

"Huh?"

"That worthless half-breed. What did he do to you to make you believe you owe him your time?"

"I…I don't understand."

"Kagome, you don't have to do anything for him. Just tell him to go away. If you need help, I'll be here."

Kagome just stared at this man in total disbelief. Was he really doing what she thought he was? "I'm…I'm sorry…uh, whatever your name is. But I asked him to be here."

The man started to laugh. "I'm sure you did."

Kagome took a deep breath. She didn't need this right now. "Look, if you'll excuse me. I have to tell that man over there that even though I'm scared, I still want to continue to see and date him. I don't mind for one moment if he's hanyou or not. As far as I'm concerned, he's much more worthy of my time than you are."

"So his youkai kind has _those_ kind of powers."

"You don't even know him…He's not like that. Never would he choose to deceive someone. Inuyasha is too honest for that. And now it's my turn to return that honesty. And as a courtesy, I would ask that you don't return to this place if you can't treat me or my guests with the respect we all deserve."

Kagome didn't even wait for a response from the mysterious meanie. Grabbing the glasses of the fruity sorbet drinks, she carried them over, feeling a new wave of confidence rise up inside of her. It felt…good.

"Sorry," Kagome apologized as she set down their beverages before sitting back down in her chair.

"Kagome, you…you didn't have to say those things only because I could hear the conversation."

Kagome blushed. When that man had glanced over at Inuyasha, she did as well. Her eyes zoned right in on his ears. They twitched around at all of the sounds he was picking up and she knew he could hear what was being said.

"I'm sorry." Inuyasha let out a heavy sigh. "I'm sorry he said those things about you. He doesn't know you at all. I know I don't know everything about you, but I'd like to learn as much as I can."

Kagome didn't look up at Inuyasha as she continued on with her part of the conversation. "I have my fears. As do you. And I've been reassured that they're normal. Everything I know about a relationship I learned from Hojo, which I know isn't saying very much at all. And a lot of my fears come from that inexperience."

She finally looked up at him, her lips turning upwards at him. "I would like nothing more than for there to be an us. Not a deep…uh, permanent us…but, dates…more dates…more…m-more k-kisses…"

"Are you sure?"

"I thought you could sense whether or not I lie?" she said with a sly smile on her face.

"Whatever wench," he snapped back. He couldn't let her know how excited he was by her utterly pure honesty.

Shippo showed up with the dinner special for them to test. Kagome thanked Shippo for his hard work and promised to let him know about the meal afterwards. She really needed Shippo to head back to the kitchen so she could continue to have time alone with Inuyasha to continue their conversation.

Nodding, smiling, and saluting all at once, Shippo turned and skipped away. "He's just really nervous about his cooking."

"He doesn't like me."

"Shippo is like that with anyone he doesn't know. And he knows you are the one who decides my dinner specials."

"Keh, I do not."

"You do. I'm not youkai or hanyou, so I can't know their tastes. Your brother is refined and content with the same youkai foods. But, I have my very own hanyou."

"Feh."

"Are you going to eat or not?"

Inuyasha picked up his fork and started digging into the meal. Kagome said her '_itadakimasu_' before touching her meal. As she worked on hers, she kept her eyes on Inuyasha, remembering how he reacted to that breakfast she made.

"Not too bad…duck's okay…"

"We can always do this with another meat…oh, like pork. It's too early for fish. I've noticed that people wait for the weekend for the expensive dishes, like specialty fish or beef."

"Is that how you work this place?"

Kagome laughed. "It's how the restaurant business works." Kagome paused as the real reason why they were here right now popped into her head. "You being here for lunch, to help me with my food, it works because it was about us becoming friends, and about the food. But when it comes to the real us, I, too, need feedback from you."

"I know that much," he argued back in between bites of duck.

"If you don't like the phone, then…text messaging is so informal and…unfeeling. But, I don't like this either."

"Not like what?"

"This. We…we only see each other during lunch. It's so scheduled, like school."

"And…"

"I'm working on it. Bankotsu is being trained as a closing manager so he can watch this place at night. The school is against my long hours here."

"Kagome, you live here."

"I know…but…I really have no choice. I don't have any money."

"Am I really that expensive?"

"No. I made that decision and I'm literally paying for it."

"So, we try again."

"Yes. Most definitely. You know, it's okay for you to visit the Shrine whatever. Mama won't mind at all. I wouldn't mind either. You could drop by after work."

"You're scheduling…"

"Eh, I am? Really? I didn't think I was," Kagome giggled it off. "I accept the fact that we both work. It's who we are…it's even our culture."

"I'm not going to be like that fuckin' idiot…Homo…Hobo…"

"What do you mean?"

"Abandoning you…"

"Er, he didn't really do that. Work is important to him. And to me and to you…"

"Still-"

"Don't. Okay? No use making promises we aren't even sure we can keep, right?"

"Kagome…" he said her name softly. She was still being honest with him.

"I know we're both trying to be serious, but…sometimes I get too serious and think so far ahead and create fears that keep me from living _this_ moment…Maybe, just maybe this'll help me with my doubts by not creating so many."

Kagome took a deep breath. It felt good. "Sorry, I might've gotten carried away, but…it's what I needed to say…for now."

"Like I want to be burdened with your made-up female shit."

"What…?"

"Sango always goes on and on about how you girls overanalyze everything."

Kagome laughed. "She's right. We do. But someone's got to," she teased the hanyou.

Inuyasha just shook his head, enjoying the moment so much more than he let on. On one level, he didn't care about everything Kagome said because she was right. Worrying about future possibilities in a very brand new dating relationship was a waste of time and energy. But on some other unknown level, he really wanted to know exactly what it was that was holding her back. All he knew for sure, at this very moment, was that they still wanted to see each other. And as long as they talked, they could be fine. It was a start, as all things had to have a beginning.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's note:** Hi-ho everyone! Here it is. I hope you all enjoyed it. I don't know about any of you, but whenever I have to bring talk seriously with someone, I have the most difficult time tying to figure out what to say, or how to actually start it. So, that is reflected here. The Beta of this story, renagrrl7 asked about the strange man that was very persistent with Kagome. Who was he and will he be back again? I don't know…We'll see…

Not many translations or anything. I have made a slight inconsistency that I will one day correct. I've used two different spellings of powdered green tea. It can be written as 'matcha' or 'macha' depending on which romanji system used. I actually prefer 'macha' and the only reason I used 'matcha' was because of the recipe book I was using. So I apologize for that.

_Nyotaimori _is body sushi. If any of you watched 'The Surreal Life' with Adrienne and the Brady kid, then you know what I'm talking about. Basically, a naked person, in this case, a naked woman, lies down on a table and is covered with sushi that you pluck off her body and eat. When I lived in Seattle, they had just opened a sushi bar that offered _nyotaimori_. At this time, I don't think it is offered anymore because of sanitation reasons. But, if the woman is covered with saran wrap, then I think it is allowed. Imagine Miroku with one of these…

I couldn't find a recipe for tamale filled with a the red bean paste (azuki paste), but I didn't really do a thorough search. I will one day when I have time because those do sound tasty and I've been craving tamales for some time now.

Here is the recipe for the Duck Breasts with Asian Mole

Asian Mole

**Makes 2 cups**

2 large onions, chopped

1/4 cup garlic, chopped

1/4 cup ginger, chopped

4 serrano chiles, chopped

1 cup red wine

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup water

1 tablespoon minced thyme

3 tablespoons toasted black sesame seeds

1/4 pound dark unsweetened chocolate, chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Canola oil for cooking

In a large sauté pan coated lightly with oil over medium-high heat, sauté shallots, garlic, ginger and chiles until caramelized. Deglaze with red wine, scarping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add cranberries and water and reduce by half. Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. With blender running, add thyme, sesame seeds and gradually add chocolate. Check again for flavor and season if necessary.

To make Asian Mole Sauce, use a 1:1 ratio of mole to chicken stock.

**Serves 4**

1/3 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon minced shallot

1 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/2 pound haricots verts

1/2 pound piece jicama

2 duck breasts, about 1 pound each

1/2 cup Asian Mole Sauce, warmed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Canola oil for cooking

Combine first 6 ingredients to make vinaigrette.

Peel and cut jicama into slices about 1/4-inch thick. Stack slices on a cutting board and cut into sticks.

Heat water to boiling and blanch beans until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes.

In a medium bowl, toss beans and jicama with 1/4 cup of lemon vinaigrette (you can set this aside to marinate for about 30 minutes or use right away).

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat. Lay the duck breasts on a cutting board and season both sides with salt and pepper. Using a paring knife, make diagonal slashes through the skin about half an inch apart, taking care not to cut into the flesh. Put the duck breasts into the hot pan, skin-side down, and cook until the fat is rendered and the skin is browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Use a splatter screen if you have one because the breasts render a lot of fat.

About halfway through the cooking, use a ladle or baster to remove most of the fat from the pan. Turn the breasts and cook to barely medium rare, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove the breasts to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Season each breast with a pinch of salt and pepper, cut breasts into thin slices, and fan them out on 4 serving plates.

Top with warm Asian Mole Sauce and arrange Jicama-Haricots Salad alongside.

I've never tried duck before…

And for those salad dressing…

Japanese Ginger 

INGREDIENTS 

1 cup olive oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 lemon, juiced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root

1 teaspoon prepared Dijon-style mustard

2 teaspoons honey

ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS 

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, ginger, mustard, honey and pepper. Once these are thoroughly combined, add the oil in a steady stream, whisking constantly. When all of the oil is incorporated into the dressing, pour into a glass jar and chill until serving.

Garlic and Olive Oil

INGREDIENTS 

1/4 cup light olive oil

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon white sugar

1 clove garlic, chopped

1/8 teaspoon ground dry mustard

DIRECTIONS 

In a blender or food processor, blend the olive oil, lemon juice, sugar, garlic and mustard until smooth. Toss with fresh greens or vegetables.

Italian Dressing

INGREDIENTS 

1 tablespoon garlic salt

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon white sugar

2 tablespoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried basil

1 tablespoon dried parsley

1/4 teaspoon celery salt

1 tablespoons salt

couple of shakes or red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS 

In a small bowl, mix together the garlic salt, onion powder, sugar, oregano, pepper, thyme, basil, parsley, celery salt, red pepper flakes and regular salt. Store in a tightly sealed container.

To prepare dressing, whisk together 1/4 white vinegar, 2/3 cup canola oil, 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons of the dry mix.

Can't find the shallot-balsamic dressing, so I add this instead for you.

Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing

INGREDIENTS 

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup raspberry wine vinegar

1/2 cup white sugar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS 

In a jar with a tight fitting lid, combine the oil, vinegar, sugar, mustard, oregano, and pepper. Shake well.

Thanks to all of you, the readers and the reviewers, for your most wonderful support. I know I haven't been super consistent, but I'm still here and that counts for something.

roshully


	22. Chapter 22

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Twenty and TwoChocolate Sauce**

"I feel a bit foolish."

"Why?"

Sango sighed as she stabbed at a slice of avocado. She picked it up and stared at it, twirling it around on her fork. "Because…I, out of every one of you, should know better. There are always at least three sides to every story and…I ignored all but one."

"So what if you did? You're Kagome's friend first, right? It's hard to be unbiased around friends. We want to do anything and everything we can to help them."

"Still, Inuyasha is my friend and I…I let him down. I shouldn't have done that. What if he thinks I hate him?"

"Don't be ridiculous Sango. Helping Kagome sort through her insecurities is not high on his list of reasons to hate you. In fact, I think he's okay with the fact that we're all friends with Kagome and that we accept her and him together."

"I feel like I need to apologize to him."

"Then do so. We both know how he is. He'll shrug it off, but somewhere in his heart he'll be touched by it." Miroku plucked off a baby tomato and chewed on it. Both had settled on salads for lunch at _KenSen_. They normally didn't attend the restaurant during their lunch hour because it was quite a distance away from the clinic, but they had a good reason to be there.

"How is everything?"

"Wonderful, as it always is," Sango replied as she wiped dribbles of dressing from the corners of her lips.

"Very delicious Kagome. Was the food the only reason for the invite?"

"No, actually…" Kagome pulled a chair over from a nearby empty table and sat down. "I actually called you both here to apologize."

"Apologize?" Miroku questioned as he slid his empty plate away from him.

"What for?" Sango asked as she found herself not sure what was going on, or what had happened.

"I know that if Inuyasha and I continue to see each other, the two of you will be in the middle and I hate being in the middle. Even now, I always get put in the middle of Kouga's and Ayame's little spats. So, I apologize if that happened. And I'm sure it could happen later."

"Kagome, you don't need to apologize," Sango began, "We are all at fault. I might have allowed myself to get a bit carried away." She chuckled at herself for the obvious stumble in judgment she made.

"Kagome, Sango and I want to always be there for the both of you. And that will always come with risks. You were in the middle of things when Sango and I were working on our relationship."

"What about Inuyasha?"

Miroku laughed out loud before quieting himself due to the stern look Sango threw his way. Clearing his throat, Miroku calmly answered, "You have a lot to learn about our dear hanyou."

"Eh, what do you mean?" Kagome was worried. She knew she didn't know everything about Inuyasha, but she thought she had him somewhat figured out.

"Don't worry Kagome. Inuyasha has his own way of dealing with things that you'll learn about, in time. That's just the type of person he is."

Kagome nodded. She was learning about just who Inuyasha was. He was so confusing. Men may think simple things, but they were complicated to figure out. She knew she wasn't an easy translation, either. Men and women really did speak different languages. The same words were being used, but ones that carried slightly different meanings. This was why communication was going to be so important for them.

"Well, I have to go. Oh, next week, we're sampling five specialty desserts, one each night of the week. There's a brochure here that you can take with you. I hope you can make it to one."

Sango picked up the brochure and started to drool over the glossy pictures. "Oh Kagome. These look delicious."

"Sango I told you I had a copy of Kagome's TV segments where she created a few of them."

"Oh right. I forgot."

Miroku sighed. Everyone had communication roadblocks, even some like Sango, who were trained to read people, or someone like himself, a person that liked to talk. He listened, too. They were both people person-types, and still…

"I'll see you two next week then." Kagome bounced off back to her work.

Miroku waited until Kagome had disappeared around the corner before saying anything. "They must've discussed their current situation."

"You make everything sound like some kind of strategy."

"Dating is about strategy."

"What?" Sango blurted out. "How can you-"

"Think about it. We present ourselves as the best we think we can be—perfect hair, the right clothes, smiles, timed touches…it's a game plan."

"Well, yeah, I suppose that's true…" Sango reluctantly agreed as she thought back to not only her dates, but her discussions about relationships with her patients.

"And knowing our friends, they both kept quiet about many of the things that were bothering them, but they couldn't bring it up because it's too soon in their relationship and they don't want to frighten the other. It is _all_ about strategy."

"So, is it a part of your strategy to pay for lunch and leave a good tip?"

"Of course it is, Sango."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Sorry, I'm late."

Inuyasha just shrugged his shoulders, however, the moment he scented her presence, all of his senses were fixed on her. Hard gold eyes followed her every move as she sat down at their table. He was so protective of her already and most of that time, they were just sitting. Luckily, he didn't have to worry so much about random demon attacks as much anymore—that was so five hundred years ago.

"Had a bit of a mishap in the kitchen," Kagome explained as she set a large stack of papers onto the table. "Someone got careless and ended up burning their hand. Nothing too serious though."

Inuyasha took several deep calming breaths. As soon as she said 'mishap,' he feared that maybe something had happened to her. The piece of broken mug stuck in her foot really did a number on him. The rusty scent of her blood made his mind dizzy and he let loose a little of his inner demon in order to keep his inner human from panicking too much.

"Work okay for you?" Inuyasha just nodded, unable to reply until his blood cooled down. "That's good."

Shippo appeared with the night's dinner special. He remained silent as he carefully placed the dishes down in front of Kagome first and then Inuyasha. Shippo backed away, offering his 'customers' a quick bow before heading off. The kitchen had to be cleaned from the lunch hours as they also readied for the dinner hours.

Inuyasha sniffed the food, wrinkling his nose at the flavors he could name and at those he couldn't. He looked up at her, his gaze asking the question he always asked at this time of the lunch.

"It's chicken with preserved lemon sauce."

"Why is yours different than mine?"

"Huh? It is?" Kagome leaned over to examine Inuyasha's food. "Well…maybe it's the capers…Shippo knows that I'm not a huge fan of them, so I think he spared me from too many of them."

"Are they gross?"

Kagome burst out laughing. "No. Just strong. Go ahead and try it. If you don't like them, then just scrap them off."

"I can do that?"

"Yes. What? Did you eat something you didn't like because…because you thought it might offend me?"

"No," he quickly answered.

"I didn't think so. I don't expect everyone to like everything that we serve here. However, I'm a huge garlic lover, so there's lots of garlic in many of my recipes."

"Keh," Inuyasha said before cutting into the chicken breast and eating his lunch. He was always hungry by lunch time. Lunch was late in the day and breakfast was just too damn early.

Kagome neatly ate her meal, keeping an eye on Inuyasha to see if there was any indication that something about the meal didn't taste right to him. Glancing down at her lemon-glazed chicken, she let out a long sigh.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing next week?"

"Working," he muttered with a mouth half-full of food.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "I know that much. I mean afterwards."

Inuyasha froze, his mouth hanging open as he looked up at her. "After work?"

"Yeah." Kagome looked down at her food, cutting up the chicken and swirling the piece of white meat around in the lemon sauce. "I was wondering if maybe…if you could…if you have time, that maybe, uh, that maybe you wouldn't mind coming here. I mean, we have that dessert promotion, and normally we don't get to eat dessert, so I thought maybe you'd be interested in something like that, something different."

Inuyasha chewed up the rest of the food in his mouth, swallowing it as he stared at Kagome. She hadn't looked up at him at all, concentrating mostly on her food. "Lunch here and what…dessert?"

"No, um, we can not meet for lunch and, instead, have dinner and dessert. I know that it'll be different…"

"Different as in there'll be people here?"

"The restaurant would be open then, yes." Kagome's eyes flicked up at Inuyasha before turning back to her plate. "It'd only be one night, not all five. And it can be any day that works best for you-"

"Sure. I'll have to check my schedule."

"Oh, of course. That's…uh, that's why I said something now. You know, so you could do the schedule check-thing. And, uh, if you'd feel more comfortable, I think Sango and Miroku might make an appearance."

"Sango and Miroku? When did you talk to them?"

"They were in today, for lunch. We have brochures for the dessert promotion on all of the tables. I gave them one." Kagome handed Inuyasha one of the brochures. "I don't know what kind of sweets you like. Maybe this can help you pick a day."

Inuyasha took the brochure and without looking at it set it on top of his stack of files he planned to work on. He returned to his plate to finish off what he had left of the lemony chicken.

Lunch continued on like it normally did. They ate; Kagome talked some more while Inuyasha did some work before it was time for them to really return back to their jobs.

Kagome returned to her office as soon as Inuyasha had left the restaurant. She had Shippo come into the office so they could talk about the dinner. Kagome's only advice was to go easy on the capers. The lemon and vinegar combo could really pack a pucker.

It had been so hard to ask Inuyasha to come to her restaurant so he could try on of the desserts. She felt like an idiot and no doubt sounded like a bumbling baka. Her nerves just went all haywire around him. Was it because she was trying to ask him something that went beyond their friendship? She wanted to try a few more dates with him. That he already knew. And she really wanted to know what kind of desserts he liked as she hadn't made anything sweet for him to eat.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Inuyasha picked Friday. He had wanted to avoid the weekend nights, but he couldn't help himself. The dessert for Friday night actually looked good and it was something he was willing to try. Choosing Friday worked out for him well. He planned the day to be packed with appointments and procedures, trying to make the most of the day. The busy day also kept him safe from Saori and Miroku, both of whom were curious as to why Inuyasha didn't have his normal lunch date with Kagome. No matter what he did, whatever it was, it always got those two gossiping like school girls.

After he was finally done with work, and after he was safely able to sneak past his nosy secretary, Inuyasha hurried home to shower and change. He wasn't sure what to expect tonight. Was it a date? Even if it was at her restaurant? It did seem odd for them to call this a date if she was actually working. Still, whether it was a date or not, he didn't care because he was still able to spend some time with her. He didn't want to spend the evening dining alone at a table while she went about smiling and laughing with the other customers. Inuyasha wouldn't stay for that. She personally invited him and she better damn well pay him some attention.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Inuyasha entered the overstuffed restaurant and was already starting to regret choosing a Friday night to come here. The noise, the smells of all of the different customers, the privacy he lost…He let out a long sigh. There was no way he could leave. Not now, he was already here. And he was anxious to see her.

"Hi Inuyasha," Rin greeted him as soon as she spotted him. She stuffed a few menus into the front-waitress booth. "You can head up to the bar. Kagome is taking care of something and she'll be with you in a moment."

Inuyasha made a beeline for the stairs, ignoring everyone he passed. Making his way up the stairs, he groaned at the louder-than-loud noise that greeted him up on the second level. He flattened his ears against his head to protect them. _They'll be ringing all night_, he thought to himself. Weaving his way through the crowd, he finally found the bar and snuggled between two patrons as he waited for Kagome.

Inuyasha tapped his claws against the glass bar as he continued to wait for Kagome. He took a step back so he had the room he needed to take off his coat. Without a table to sit at, he had to hold onto his coat. It was so inconvenient. He tried to squeeze his way back into his seat, but found that it was already gone.

_Pushing assholes…_

Inuyasha scanned the room to see if there was some other place he could park it until Kagome was done. The only problem of finding a nice, secluded corner was that Kagome would have trouble finding him. And with all of the noise and stank of sweat and the overuse of perfumes, he could have his own problems picking her out of the crowd. Why couldn't she just serve him the dessert at lunch?

He hated this not-knowing-what-to-do feeling he had. A part of him wanted to leave, while the other part told him he should stay. Kagome was his reason to stay. The waiting, the crowds, those were his reasons to go. The dessert had to be important to him because it was important to Kagome. She asked him and he said yes. That was basically a promise.

Wandering around in the sea of annoyance, he found some space at the bar where he could plant himself. Only problem was that it was near the jukebox. Still, if he could find a spot at the bar, he'd have better luck of being spotted by Kagome.

And so, again, he tapped his claws against the glowing glass, his impatience apparent to anyone who looked at him. He didn't know how long he would have to wait, but he'd already waited longer than he ever would have. This had to be a statement about his feelings for this girl. In a way, those six months during which he had no idea about where she was or what she was doing, he may have been waiting.

"Inuyasha? Is…is that you?"

Inuyasha spun around to find Kagome standing behind him. His golden eyes examined her appearance. She looked casual, but classy, for work. A sheer, ruffled, silk blouse with the top two buttons undone was tucked into a high-waist, blood-red sateen skirt that fell just above her knees. A black patent leather belt was wrapped around her tiny waist. Her dainty feet here neatly tucked into classic black leather pumps, and around her left wrist was a thick leather band.

What he loved most was that her tousled hair was left down. The jet-black locks framed her face, but they could never frame her eyes. Nothing could contain what those eyes held in them.

"What do you mean 'is it me'? I ain't seen anyone else here with these." He pointed to the appendages on his head that were still trying to hide from the noise.

Kagome giggled. "I know. You look good."

Inuyasha glanced down at his outfit. He didn't think it was anything that spectacular. He wore a pair of dark-wash boot cut jeans and a red, short-sleeve polo shirt. It was simple and it was clean. The spring weather was already here despite the deep freeze they were experiencing just two weeks ago.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," she quickly said. Her mother had mentioned something about his patience. Like the fact that he had none. "I hope you're hungry."

"A little I guess." A lie. He was starving. He ate breakfast and skipped lunch because he didn't have his usual lunch date with Kagome. But he wasn't going to tell her that.

"Good, follow me then." Kagome reached out and took his hand in hers as she led him through the crowd. He hated canine analogies, but sometimes, it honestly described the situation. Yes, he was following her like an eager puppy with its tail happily wagging, except without the tail. He didn't get one of those.

Kagome just stopped. Inuyasha rear-ended her.

"Sorry," he said.

"Actually…um, you want something to drink?" She looked up at him, still clinging onto his hand.

"Sure."

"Okay, what then?"

"I don't care."

Kagome sighed. _Sometimes_… "Sure you do. I don't think you'd like it if I got you something spicy or frilly."

He frowned at the idea of trying to drink something spicy. Glancing down at her, he found a hint of jest twinkling in her eye. "Keh, give me a beer then."

She smiled up at him, dropping his hand. "Okie-dokie then. Um, could you wait by those doors? I'll quickly head over to the bar and get our drinks."

Kagome quickly ran off, her short form disappearing in the crowd. He didn't want her to go off alone. He kept his eyes on her until he couldn't and that was when he reluctantly made his way over to the set of doors she had pointed out to him.

What lay beyond the doors was a mystery to him. She didn't give him the grand tour of the place or anything. But what plans did she have for him? He didn't know. He hoped there were plans…

He didn't have to wait long to find her trying her best to hurry through the pillars of people in her way while she juggled the four, chilled bottles of beer in her arms. She was having a difficult time due to the condensation covering the glass, making them slippery. He left his spot by the door, pushing his way through the crowd over to where she was trying to get around a boisterous bunch.

"Here," he said, pushing some of the people out of her way to give her the space she needed. "Hand me those."

"It's okay," she stammered out as they slowly moved through the crowded bar.

"Just hand me the damn bottles."

"I can…manage," she said just as one of the bottles almost slipped out of her grasp.

Inuyasha ignored her as he plucked a couple of bottles out of her arms. She pouted, but said nothing as they continued to make their way to that door that led somewhere. He hoped it was quiet and less crowded. He was not comfortable in the bar. Kagome sighed as they approached the door. Who knew he would be so touchy about beer?

Upon reaching the door, Kagome stealthily glanced around, checking for something. Inuyasha didn't ask any questions about it. Kagome pushed on the heavy door, it creaked open enough for the two of them to slip through without anyone trying to follow. And then the door quickly closed again.

Inuyasha felt the immediate change in environment: from hot, muggy loudness to a cool, quiet, and fresh calm. And it was completely dark. It didn't take long for his eyes to adjust. When they did, he noticed the chairs and tables set up around him. It had to be another part of the restaurant. Maybe a banquet room?

"Now where is it?" Kagome whispered to herself as she fumbled around in the dark looking for something. "Ah, here we go."

Inuyasha's eyes reacted to the sudden illumination of the room. No, it wasn't exactly a room either, but a really large space. Bare trees were swathed in tiny twinkling lights and a soft hum filled Inuyasha's ears.

Beaming, Kagome joined Inuyasha. "This way," she instructed him as she led him past several tables with their chairs stacked neatly on top of them.

"Where are we?" he asked as he felt the air getting warmer, but still fresh.

"Here," she proudly stated, pointing to a table with a wide, half-circle padded bench around it. The hum and warm air were coming from those outdoor heaters he had heard about. Taking another glance around the room, he realized that they weren't inside a room at all, but outside on a patio. That explained the fresh air and the outdoor heaters. He didn't think that they would need the outdoor heaters, but it was her decision. Kagome set the bottles of beer she held in her hands onto the table. She then grabbed the bottles out of Inuyasha's arms and also placed them on the table.

"Sit," she said.

Inuyasha glared at her. Maybe she didn't get it, but he did. "Keh, that's not nice."

"Huh?" Kagome asked. She looked at him, trying to figure out what else she did wrong. "Inu…" she started to say when she got sight of his ears. Instead of apologizing, she just giggled. "I get it now."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he sat down on the softly padded bench. "Fine, don't apologize."

"Oh, it really hurt your feelings?" she asked as she took the spot next to him. "I thought it was cute, but…" Kagome felt really bad for actually hurting his feelings. She really liked his ears and the other canine traits she was becoming aware of. She should've realized, especially after that rude man the other day, Inuyasha was sensitive about the things that really made him stand out.

Inuyasha let out a frustrated sigh. He hadn't meant to upset Kagome like that. Those that were interested in his more unusual attributes were only curious about them until they got bored. Too often, he was teased, taunted, and tortured, so he had a problem believing that anyone could truly accept them as a part of him.

Yes, Kagome accepted him, yet he had those lingering doubts. Kagome would find his response reasonable if he explained it to her. Though he didn't know if he could. He always had a difficult time trying to put his feelings into words. Fighting was more his style, the way he communicated his feelings. All those detentions and suspensions counted for something.

"Nevermind," Inuyasha muttered as he couldn't find the right way to express himself in front of her. Maybe he should've paid more attention to Miroku. He knew how to speak to women properly.

"Okay," Kagome said, deciding it might be safer to drop it now. It might be one of those topics that was too early for either of them to address. "Here." She handed him one of the bottles of beer they had brought out with them.

"So, what's for dinner?"

"You'll see."

"Why can't you tell me?"

"Because I want it to be a surprise."

"Your food is always a surprise."

"What?" she screeched out ready to hit him in the arm when she noticed the faint smile he tried to hide behind the neck of the bottle of beer. "Why you…" she playfully started to say, slapping him lightly on the arm. "That's not nice. My cooking can't be that bad."

"I'm a dog, so I'll eat just about anything."

Kagome gasped, frozen as the words hit. She couldn't tell if he was joking with her or not. And after the previous dog joke she had just accidentally made, she couldn't be sure about him. "Ah…" But she didn't know what to say.

To keep herself from saying anything, Kagome looked away as she took a long gulp of her beer. How was she supposed to tell him that while she had to recognize him as part dog demon, she didn't see it as something to be made fun of? She didn't think cutesy teasing was harmful, though.

Inuyasha set his bottle down onto the table harshly, causing beer suds to jump up from inside the bottle. He'd already messed up. Kagome was uncomfortable and eerily quiet. He knew only he could fix it. Turning toward her, he noticed just how uncomfortable she really was; half of her beer was already gone.

"Look…sorry. I…I'm not used to someone being able to joke about me without malicious intent." Even after saying that, she hadn't eased up at all. He reached out to her, gripping onto her arms and turning her so she faced him. "Your food is fine. I've told you that before."

"I know…"

"Then what the fuck is wrong?"

"The food isn't here yet," her soft voice answered.

"What?"

"Dinner. I told them to have it out here by a certain time. I already made you wait once. I didn't want it to happen again."

Inuyasha pulled away from her, reaching for his beer. "You're weird."

"I am not. I just wanted this night to be nice."

"Don't worry so much about it."

Inuyasha's ears twitched to the sound of one of those doors opening. Kagome spun around in her spot to find Rin walking towards them with her tray in hand. Now Kagome relaxed. Rin quietly approached the table and proceeded to serve them the night's dinner special. As soon as the plates were on the table, Rin disappeared, leaving the two to enjoy their meal in private.

"Shrimp," Inuyasha guessed as he continued to sniff the food. "More beer and _udon_."

Kagome clapped her hands together. "Yep. I hope you like it. I wanted something not so…overwhelming because this week is really all about the desserts."

Inuyasha plucked up a piece of shrimp and popped it into his mouth. Shaking her head and smiling, Kagome turned to her meal, using chopsticks this time to eat the seafood and noodle meal.

Just like with their lunches, Kagome did most of the talking while he kept quiet to eat. Kagome explained the meal, its history, including the several different types of beer she used to get the taste just right. He didn't mind. Her soft voice was nice on his ears and it calmed him to not only hear it, but to know that she could talk to him like this so freely without making it sound forced.

Kagome pushed a three-quarters eaten plate away and Inuyasha quickly snagged it away, finishing it off without even asking. She really didn't think much of it. Her mother's voice could be heard in the back of her head saying something about males and their healthy appetites. All she could do was smile.

Reaching for her beer, she took smaller sips now that the uncomfortable vibe had stilled. She relaxed back into the padded back of the bench, feeling satisfied with the meal and the light conversation they shared. Talking about nothing was just one way they could become closer.

"I know it wasn't ramen, but it wasn't too extravagant for you, was it?"

"Nah, it was closer to some of the meals I eat when I don't eat ramen."

Kagome loudly gasped. "What? You mean there is a time when you don't eat ramen?"

"Only when I have to," he retorted catching onto her tease. He liked teasing with her. She would smile and then she'd blush this really soft pink color. It was a good color on her.

"What about dessert?"

"Well, until you make a sweet ramen, then I'll just have to manage with what you have."

"A sweet ramen? That's a great idea. I'll have to work on that. But until then, we'll have to make do."

And somehow, right on cue, Inuyasha's ears flicked to that same door opening once again. Just a few moments later Rin appeared with her tray in her hands. Kagome neatly stacked up the dirty dinner dishes so that they had a place for the dessert dish. Rin set down one plate with the night's dessert special on it. Rin packed up the dirty dishes, bowed, and quickly disappeared back inside the noisy bar.

Inuyasha glanced down at the dessert before casting a quizzical glance at Kagome. "Only one…you not eating?"

"I, uh…I thought we could share. I mean, unless you don't want to. I could never eat it all by myself anyways and I've had some-"

"Sure," he interjected to keep her from rambling off with her nervous nonsense. Knowing how she was about her cooking, he quietly grabbed the spoon and dug into the dessert. The only thing he really knew about the dessert was what he saw in the picture. He was glad that what was served to him actually did look like the picture and that they didn't use any fancy cheats or computer techniques to make it look better than what it really was.

"It's chocolate praline tart with a caramel-chocolate sauce and vanilla bean ice cream, all made from scratch. This is really a versatile dish and I like to use chocolate mints with it, taking out the cara-" Kagome had a spoonful of homemade vanilla ice cream with caramel-chocolate sauce stuffed into her mouth. She shot a wide-eyed glare at Inuyasha. He had a proud smirk on his face. As much as he enjoyed her voice, there was a time when she just needed to shut her trap and enjoy the silence.

Once she had swallowed the bite, she opened her mouth ready to protest. "What was that for?"

"You talk too much. Keep quiet and eat."

She wanted to keep arguing, but decided that after all, he might be right. The silence did feel a little weird and she thought that she needed to fill it. Reaching for her spoon, she picked it up and plunged the metallic object into the crunchy mix. She savored the way the flavors and textures swirled about in her mouth before swallowing. Catching a sneak peek at Inuyasha, she wondered if with his overly sensitive tastes, if the experience of eating good food was somehow heightened. Sometimes she wished she had that ability. It might make her a better chef.

In the still of the city night, they dug at the dessert, picking it away until their spoons clanked against the bottom of the dish. Kagome had eaten more that she figured she would. It was a good thing she made the portion size larger. Not only because she had planned to share, but because Inuyasha's appetite was that much larger.

"Wa-" she started to speak when a clawed finger tried to quiet her. Once again, he was demanding silence. And once again, she wanted to give him a piece of her mind. What right did he have to tell her that she wasn't allowed to talk?

"Bu-" she tried again. Inuyasha pressed his finger more firmly against her lips, hoping she'd get the hint. Kagome sent him a glare hoping he'd get her hint that she wasn't enjoying this. She was dying to ask him about the dessert. He just shook his head at her.

A strange thought suddenly popped into her head and, in a way, it scared her. Did she have the nerves to actually do it? Maybe, considering it might allow her to finally speak. It wouldn't hurt anyone. At least from her point of view. At least no one in the vicinity would be. So many times in her life, when a thought like this appeared, she ignored it. And what did ignoring it get her? Nothing. A big, fat nothing. Kagome wanted more than the usual nothing.

Quickly, she stuck her tongue out and licked that finger that kept her quiet. It was a defiant act she had used against her brother many times. If Souta wanted the last cookie, she licked it. If Souta wanted the last bottle of juice, she opened it, licked the rim, and screwed the lid back on without taking a single sip. Sure it was childish, but it worked. Souta would never eat or drink anything tainted by his sister's germs. 'Girl cooties' he called them. Eventually, his perception of girls changed.

But licking was different among adults. It could be playful, but between two adults highly attracted to each other…

_He tastes like chocolate…_

And it was different for those with canine instincts.

_…and something else…_

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha, wanting to gauge his reaction to her little attack. He had yet to move his finger, but she could always take advantage of a grossed-out hanyou to finally say something. But she didn't exactly find a disgusted hanyou, but something quite the opposite; a look that excited her.

Stretching her mouth open a bit wider, she slowly engulfed the sweet digit into her mouth, gently sucking the remnants of the chocolate sauce off. She was fascinated by the way Inuyasha's eye lids fluttered as a deep feral moan escaped from his slightly parted mouth. Never had she heard anything so abandoned before, and by something she had done. Kagome leisurely pulled back, releasing his finger from her mouth with a tiny 'popping' sound.

Inuyasha brushed that hand across her left check, lightly scratching his claws into her soft, thick hair. His thumb stroked the apple of her cheek as his eyes dove into hers. He quickly moved towards her, taking over her lips with his own in a fiery kiss fueled by chocolate-tasting desires.

Kagome leaned into him, her back arching as her hands reached out for him, landing on the inward curve of his waist, just above his hips. She gripped onto his shirt tightly as her body started on a journey she'd never taken before.

_He tastes better than chocolate…_

Inuyasha brought his other hand up to cup her head and to show her that he was in control. He tipped her head enough to deepen their kiss. There was a tremor warming up inside of him, a great need to taste much more of her. A tiny jolt of her head caused her to gasp and allowed him entrance into her sweet mouth.

Kagome told herself not to think so much about her kissing technique. This was something you learned by just going with the flow. All of those times she practiced kissing the mirror or the back of her hand never prepared her for the real thing. Really, all she had to do was mimic what he was doing, right? Go with the flow…

It started out that simple. His tongue lapped at hers and so she lapped back. Was this why chocolate was called an aphrodisiac? He tasted so delicious. She tasted so sweet. They both knew they wanted more. And here's where things lose their simplicity and really start to heat up.

Kagome wanted to take her time to explore him and his various tastes, breaking them down as a sommelier would do with a fine wine. But Inuyasha had other ideas. He didn't want to rush. Rushing could make the kiss sloppy and one thing he knew about women was that they hated rushed, sloppy kisses.

But it wasn't just about the kiss for Inuyasha. And without scaring Kagome even more with his bold advances, he was already establishing dominance. Yes, a part of this was about him being alpha male. He didn't always agree with it, especially in domestic abuse cases, but he couldn't avoid it because it was a part of him. Another part of his heritage that he hadn't explained to her yet.

Inuyasha broke away from her lips to explore other fleshy parts of her that were accessible to his tongue…lips…teeth…Using his hands that were still cradling her head, he tipped her to the right side, exposing supple neck skin. He dragged his lips across her cheek, playfully nibbling on her jaw before attacking her neck and ear. His soft touch tickled and teased her skin in the most pleasing manner. Her head titled back more, allowing him a free pass as long as he wouldn't stop. A soft moan danced out, inviting Inuyasha to continue with his tender play.

Kagome refused to idly sit there like some rag doll. Maybe that had been her problem with Hojo; she didn't take any initiative early on. Her fingers were itching to explore him just as she was letting Inuyasha taste her. His body…she saw it once at the Shrine last spring and now she didn't have to keep herself from actually touching.

Tugging on the hem of his cotton polo shirt, she reached up, underneath the cloth to touch hot skin. His soft flesh covered hard muscles that just felt so good. She pressed her hands against his abdomen and slid upwards, causing his skin to ripple and twitch. For Inuyasha, it burned oh so good. Kagome snaked her hands around his back until something caught her eye.

Slipping one hand out, she slid it up along the length of his torso as he licked the length of her neck causing her hand to descend back down. Why did she have to wait so long to feel this good? Her mind was able to produce one clear word that reminded her of what she was aiming for before she was so distracted.

Ears. Those adorable ears were also very sexy. She was being as gentle as she could as she stroked the velvety appendage a few times before settling at the base to give it a good, languid scratch. Inuyasha quickly found himself getting lost in desire. Her taste…her touch…it was starting to numb a part of him that he needed to stay in control. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up against him before lying her down softly onto their padded bench seat.

He hovered over her, brushing away the hair from her face and taking deep inhales followed by slow exhales. Her floral scent was blossoming into something bolder, more exotic, as he gazed into her eyes. He could get lost in all of her; her scent, those eyes, her touch…and he thought he could be satisfied if he never found his way back. Her musky floral scent tugged him along to a place he'd never been before, but was searching for at the same time, a place that he could be comfortable at.

Nothing needed to be said now. Bending down, he kissed her with force, nibbling on her bottom lip before pulling away to once again look at her. He couldn't get over how beautiful she was. And what he thought about her was all that mattered.

Again, he went back down to recapture her lips in another searing kiss that started to leave them both breathless. His right hand slid down the length of her body, slipping underneath the small crevice made by the tiny curve at the small of her back. He continued his explorations of her body by continuing downward, sliding along the curve of her shapely and firm ass, giving it a good squeeze before resuming his trek south.

Kagome gasped and her body responded by arching and pressing into his. His hand slipped behind her knees, pulling it up so that her skirt rose as he wrapped her leg around his own, allowing another scent to mingle with the one she was already radiated from her hot body. Kagome wrapped her arms around him, hugging him as close to her as she could. Inuyasha kissed down her chin, advancing once again to her neck.

There was a bit of flesh at the bend of her neck to her shoulder that he found interesting…and tasty. He nibbled and suckled at that junction, hearing the acceleration of her blood flow as her heart pounded faster and faster with each kiss. Kagome found one of his ears again and both were at the same peak of the intense sensations they were causing each other.

Taste. Kagome remember that she was once curious about how this fine hanyou specimen would taste. Now, she had her chance to find out. With the way her head was tilted and his, all she had to do…She poked out her tongue and pressed it flat against the patch of skin where his jaw met the place where his ears would be, if he were human. Drawing her wet appendage along his throat, she pulled back to savor its flavor. He tasted like an exotic mix of man, musk, and salt…a unique taste of Inuyasha that she was sure she would need to sample again and again.

Inuyasha couldn't stifle the groan that he let out into her neck, causing tiny vibrations to tickle her wet, sensitive skin. He tightly gripped onto her thigh as he fought to find some control. How did she know how to do these things to him? The ears, the licking…his senses were already sensitive enough.

He pulled his mouth away from that spot, showering kisses along her collar bone until he reached the tiny dip at the base of her swan-like throat. Warning bells started to go off in his head. How far would she let him go? How far did he want to go with her tonight? Since neither had brought up the issue of sex, he knew that wasn't on tonight's menu. And they were at a public place, her restaurant. But, he didn't want to completely stop either.

He shifted down just a bit as he continued to kiss her skin, leaving invisible trail marks along the opening of her blouse. She was the one that left so many buttons undone. Bared flesh was fair game. And if she wanted to argue about it with him, she'd have to wait until he was done.

Kagome had never felt this good before. She felt so free. There was no making out with Hojo. This, this was new and wonderful, and Inuyasha just somehow knew what to do to make her brain lose track of reason, but gain pleasure. She again arched her body against his, trying to somehow maximize these feelings.

He couldn't help himself. Her action prompted an immediate and arguably equivalent reaction as he cupped her breast with his left hand, giving it a gently squeeze and causing the flesh to spill out of her bra, allowing him a taste of the top part of her fleshy mound. Kagome let out a throaty moan and bent her left knee up in response. Her leg slid along a hard part of Inuyasha that was requiring a bit of energy to stay under control and that little stunt of Kagome's woke him up to just how heavy things were really getting.

He kissed her lips gently as he removed his hand from her chest. Opening her eyes, she looked at him, her mind reeling around, trying to figure out what was going on, why he stopped. He chuckled at the confused look on her face. Sitting up, he pulled her up with him and rested her up against his chest, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. He deeply inhaled and exhaled a few times as this gave him a chance to regain control and allow his body to cool down, despite the temptation of her intoxicating scent.

"Too much ear fondling?" Kagome quietly spoke out. Oh, so now she could speak.

"Keh, something like that."

"W-why stop?"

"You think I want our first time to be on the balcony of a public restaurant?"

Kagome mouthed an 'oh' before pressing her lips together. She snuggled closer to him, resting a hand on his leg as she took the time to let her body cool down. "Point taken."

He was glad that was taken care of quickly. It's not like he had their first time planned out, but this wasn't his ideal. And before there was a first time, they would have to talk. Not now, but maybe next time. He'd let her pick the pace, but he didn't know how long he could wait.

Kagome reached over and grabbed a fresh bottle of beer. Twisting the cap off, she took a quick sip, letting the beverage run down her throat. Who knew making out was so exhausting? Inuyasha took the bottle from her and took a long gulp. Kagome watched with some fascination at how his Adam's apple bobbed up and down with each swallow.

They sat in silence for a few moments, enjoying being in the embrace of the other. Kagome couldn't stop smiling. A part of her wanted to jump up and down, screaming silly with happiness. But that could wait until she got with her friends. She wasn't one to kiss and tell, but she wanted to let them all know how wonderful she felt.

The other part of her was content to sit right there in his arms, all night if they could. This was happiness. This is what one searched for in life, moments like these. She couldn't wait for the next moment. But this one would have to end first.

"We're out of beer."

Kagome sighed. That was one way to end a good moment. "Would you like another?"

"I'm driving."

She nodded her head. "Okay then, water or…" the last part she didn't want to say, though it was inevitable.

He knew what she didn't say. And he'd have to be the bad guy. Technically, she was still at work and he needed to get home before it got too late. "I better," he quietly replied, though he didn't move right away.

"I'll walk you out." And she stood up, pulling him up with her. He took her hand and followed her to a different set of doors. She opened them up and, as they walked into the bar, he noticed two things: that there were more people and that they were closer to the stairs that took them down to the restaurant level. They didn't have to walk through the huge crowd to get out.

Once they were down the stairs, he continued to follow her towards the main exit. The restaurant was still busy, even as it neared closing time. He was proud of Kagome and the success of her work. He was surprised when she led him outside and they continued together down the sidewalk toward the parking garage, hand in hand.

Once inside the parking garage, Inuyasha stopped her, but kept a tight lock on her hand. He tugged her over to him and wrapped another arm around her waist. They both stared at each other, slightly panting from the anticipation of what could happen.

"Did you enjoy everything?" she softly whispered.

"Yup," he suggestively replied, causing her to blush.

"You're not going to have any strange reaction to the chocolate, are you?"

"Why are you asking me such a dumb question?"

"Well, I heard that dogs aren't supposed to be fed chocolate and-"

"Pussies."

"What?"

"You heard me. Pussies."

"But my friend's dog died-"

"Like I said, I'll be fine, okay?"

"Okay. I'm glad you came tonight."

Inuyasha's answer was a sweet goodnight kiss that left Kagome's toes all tingly. She watched as he went to his truck. Making her way out of the parking garage, she stopped on the sidewalk to wait for him. As his truck came roaring out, she waved at him as he turned onto the street and made his way home.

Kagome returned to the restaurant with a goofy smile on her face. In her current state of mind, she thought it would be best to return to her office as she was in no condition to work.

"Hey Kagome," Rin said as she quickly bussed a table.

"Oh Rin. Hey. Uh, I didn't clean up the balcony. Sorry."

"That's okay. I'll get it later." Kagome smiled and started back on her way to the office. "Um, Kagome, it looks like you got some chocolate on you."

"Really? Oh, well, I'll go clean it off then."

Once inside her office, door locked behind her, Kagome opened up the storage closet to check herself out in the mirror she kept on one of the walls. She didn't think she was that messy of an eater. Kagome examined her blouse, but found nothing. In her reflection, she checked her cheeks and chin, obvious places for missed chocolate sauce. Her hands felt around and still, nothing, until she tugged at the collar of her blouse.

"What?" she bellowed out at no one. She didn't know who she was going to kill first for this 'chocolate' spot, Rin for pointing it out, or Inuyasha for giving it to her. Some marks just couldn't be washed off.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's notes: **I know, I know, long wait. I'm so very sorry. I have come down with something nasty. I'm normally never sick for this long. It's been a week since I woke up with a really sore throat that has since evolved into a cough that has kept me up for the last three nights.

translation:

baka – Japanese for idiot, stupid and anything along those lines as well as one of the most easily recognizable Japanese words from anime.

sommelier – those people that sniff wines before taking a gulp, swishing it around in their mouths a few times before spitting it out to test and rate the wine. They are hired at restaurants to pair wines with food.

Eh, no recipes this chapter because of formatting issues. Still want the recipes, check out my Livejournal which you can access through my homepage thingie. Instead of worrying about format, I just decided to ignore it by doing that. It's the easiest solution I can think of. That way, if you have any questions, you can address them on my LJ.

There shouldn't be as long as a wait for the next chapter unless I continue to stay ill and something else happens.

Thanks for the awesome reviews and thanks for reading.

Have a great week and weekend.

roshully


	23. Chapter 23

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Twenty and ThreeSomewhere We Belong**

Kagome pulled at the scarf around her neck, the one she had to wear with this blouse in order to hide the spot on her neck. She thought hickeys were something left to high schoolers and scandalous adults. It wasn't ugly like she had seen on some of her former classmates, but it wasn't anything to flash around for others to gawk at. Especially at work.

Just looking at it, alone in her office, she had a chance to reflect differently on it. It reminded her of how it got to be there and soon enough, her heart started to pound, pumping the blood that fueled her blush. She brushed her fingers over the purplish mark. It was something that Inuyasha had given her. It was silly to think that, but she couldn't help herself. There was something sexy about it because Inuyasha had given it to her during a fairly intense make-out session on the balcony of the restaurant.

Glancing around her office, she sighed as she thought about whether she should go to the Shrine now, before the subway closed for the night, or wait until morning. Her laundry still needed to be bagged up. Tallying the tills could wait until Monday evening when she returned, so she wouldn't have to bring work with her.

She figured she had just enough time to pack and run. If she did that, then she could enjoy a late-night soak, followed by a long sleep in her own bed. Living at the restaurant wouldn't last forever. And now that she was seeing Inuyasha, she wished she had a place of her own so she could invite him over to for a nice intimate dinner. And maybe other intimate activities.

Kagome paused as she stared at herself in the mirror. Was she ready for sex…with Inuyasha? They'd only kissed those two times. They'd only been on one real date and then whatever last night was. It was….Kagome blushed at her reaction. It was something.

Kagome didn't think she was ready. But she knew she could be wrong. But she didn't exactly know how to tell if she was ready or not. There were things that she did know. She knew that she was deeply attracted to him, sexually even. She liked to be with him, talk to him, be in his embrace, and all of those other cuddly actions. She had discovered that there was more to her in his presence.

Then there were the things she didn't know about him—like his views on politics, religion, education, his favorite sport, and other topics that defined a person. What were his fears, who were his heroes, and what in this world would make him cry? The more Kagome thought about it, she could only come to the realization that she really didn't know much about Inuyasha at all. Could she have sex with a stranger?

Well, it wasn't exactly like that. But what did she need to know about him before she felt comfortable enough to commit herself to a real relationship with him? Kagome groaned as she stuffed the last of her dirty laundry into the mesh bag. Inuyasha was a bit more complicated than Hojo ever was. But then again, what was her relationship with Hojo in the end?

"I can think about it tomorrow," she said confidently to herself as she lugged the mesh bag over to her desk. She slipped into her black trench coat, carefully, yet quickly, going up each of the large plastic buttons. Grabbing her purse, as well as her laundry bag, she exited her office, locking the door behind her. Bankotsu had his own set of keys so he could lock up once the bar was closed for the evening, setting the alarm as well.

The sound of her heels echoed in the empty restaurant. All that was left were the few who stuck around to clean up. Only one cook remained to clean up the kitchen, as well as prepare any orders from the bar. Only a few lights remained lit as a safety precaution. Even if pitch-black, Kagome knew her way around the restaurant.

She opened the front doors and stepped outside, setting her laundry bag down on the sidewalk. Fishing in her coat pocket, she pulled out her set of keys and found the right one so she could lock the front doors up. She jiggled the handle of the door a few times to make sure the lock did catch. Satisfied that no one was going to be able to get in, she stuck her keys in her purse, picked up her laundry bag, and started down the street toward the subway station.

Normally, she didn't go home on Saturday nights. She didn't like to walk to the subway station at this time of night. So far, she knew she had been lucky that nothing bad had happened to her. Sure, crime was low in the city, but it still existed and Kagome believed that she had 'victim' marked all over her. She slipped her hand into her pocket, wrapping her fingers around her cell phone, ready to push any button just in case.

Kagome's breathing picked up when she saw headlights making their way towards her. She sidestepped her way over towards the buildings, clutching even tighter onto her phone. Keeping her eyes focused forward, Kagome picked up her pace, and cursed the high heeled shoes she wore for work.

_I could always turn them into a weapon._

Her eyes widened when the dark vehicle made a U-turn, slowing down until it was moving along at the same speed she was walking. Not immediately recognizing the vehicle, Kagome thought about disappearing into the nearest convenience store until the vehicle left. Or she could hang out in the store, call a taxi, and wait. She'd do anything to stay safe.

_Where is the nearest convenience store?_

Her body froze when she heard the tires screech as the brake was applied. She didn't know what to think. Either they were looking for something around this area, there were a lot of shops around here, or…Kagome gulped. Her friends would call her first if they had been planning on coming to visit her.

_Maybe there is a police box at the end of the block._

"Where ya running off to?"

Kagome quickened her steps. Whoever it was couldn't be calling out for her, could they? She wanted to stop, but common sense told her not to. Tonight was not the night to head home. How she wished Inuyasha was with her. She felt so safe with him.

"Wait up," the voice called out.

Now Kagome knew for sure that whoever it was, they were after her. She was still afraid to stop. The sound of running footsteps echoed against the empty buildings as they neared.

"Kagome," it called out at her, using her name, meaning that they knew her.

The odd thing was, she knew who it was once she heard her name. She stopped and turned to face the one that gave her a bit of a scare. "W-what are you doing here at this time of night?"

The mysterious person stepped into the light of a nearby street lamp. Kagome walked up to him, feeling relieved by his presence.

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders. "Bored. Out taking a drive."

"And that boredom brought you out here?" Kagome asked. She then realized that she didn't know where he lived.

"I guess. Whatchya doing out here?"

"Uh, heading to the subway station so I can take the train home."

"At this time of night?" he practically bellowed at her. "Who knows what kinds of perverts are crawling around here."

"No worse than the subway," she joked, followed by a cute, short giggle.

Inuyasha, however, was not amused. The idea of Kagome walking home at this time of night, as well as the ride on the subway freaked him out. He quickly walked up to her, but refrained from grabbing her and shaking some sense of safety into that female brain of hers.

"Let's go," he commanded.

"Eh, where?" she asked as she glanced around the area, finally noticing that everything in the area was closed.

Inuyasha snorted. The girl could be so damned dense at times. "I'm taking you home," he spelled it out for her slowly, enunciating each word carefully.

Kagome cocked an eyebrow at him, sticking her hip out as she shifted her weight. "Did Mama put you up to this?"

Inuyasha narrowed his dark amber eyes at her as he thrust his hands into his pockets. "No," he quietly mumbled, unable to look her in the eyes.

Kagome smiled at him. "Are you sure about this?"

Now he looked up at her and nodded. "You still have that car fear?"

Blushing, Kagome responded, "A little. I'm not as scared as I used to be, but it's still there."

Inuyasha marched right up to her, grabbed the laundry bag out of her hand and hauled it over his shoulder. "Come on," he commanded softly, taking a hold of her hand and tugging her along towards his truck. Kagome didn't say anything as she jogged to keep up with his long strides.

He tossed the laundry bag into the bed of his truck. Kagome patiently waited on the sidewalk as Inuyasha opened the passenger door up for her. She stepped over to the truck. Reaching out, she grabbed onto what she could in order to try and hoist herself up into the cab. First, she cursed the heels she wore, and now she was cursing the tight, charcoal pencil skirt she opted to wear today.

Inuyasha chuckled as he watched Kagome struggle to get into his truck. He _knew_ how tiny she was.

"Eh…" Kagome screeched when she felt a pair of hands wrap around her waist and lift her up into the truck. Kagome violently blushed at the intimate touch. Once seated, she looked down at him. "Thanks."

He didn't reply. Closing her door, he walked around the front of the truck, opening his door and easily pulling himself up and into the vehicle. The truck roared to life and he eased his way back onto the street and started on the route to the Shrine.

Inuyasha tapped his claws along the leather-covered steering wheel as silence reigned supreme. Kagome wasn't being her usual talkative self. He glanced over at her quickly, before returning his attention back to the road. Instead of her clawing at him like she had before, her hands were tightly fisted, curling the hem of her shirt into a tight roll. Her eyes were shut, but her face was still expressive as he figured she must be concentrating on something.

"You okay?" he asked as he took another glance at her.

"Shush. I'm trying to concentrate," she roughly whispered at him, her jaw kept tight as she continued on her concentrating.

"Concentrating on what?"

"Rollercoasters," she quickly replied.

"Rollercoasters? Why those stupid things? They're dangerous. Have you seen the idiots that operate those things?"

"Well I think they're fun. And that's why I'm visualizing them. Sango and Eri told me to visualize a rollercoaster when I'm in a car."

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."

"Yeah, well, it works. I didn't believe Eri at first, especially considering _her_ reasons for this imagining technique, but so far, it's working."

"Eri…that's the one that fucks around?"

"Yes, it's part of her research. She says she has learned to visualize things to help her cope with some of the choices she's made, especially the boring ones."

"Boring? Like boring men?"

"I guess. Though she's never told a boring story."

"She shares that shit with you?"

Kagome nodded with her eyes still closed. "Yeah, she does. She's…descriptive and informative in her stories."

"We're here."

"Eh?" Kagome slowly popped an eye open to find herself looking at the sidewalk and the first few steps up to the Shrine. "Already?" Opening both eyes, she turned and stared out the window.

Kagome bit down on her bottom lip, worrying it between her teeth as she contemplated about whether or not she should ask Inuyasha up to the Shrine for a nightcap. The idea appealed to her, but for two huge reasons, she wasn't sure it was such a great idea. She uncurled her fingers, relaxing all of her muscles as she let out a sigh.

Kagome turned her head to look over at Inuyasha, smiling at him. "Thank you for the ride."

Inuyasha barely nodded his head at her, staring out the front window. He didn't know what he should do. He knew what he wanted to do. And normally he was the type of guy that just went ahead and took what he wanted. But with women…with Kagome especially, it wasn't as easy as that. If anything, he didn't want to frighten her.

As Kagome looked at him, the fresh memories of last night appeared, causing her to blush again. She had enjoyed their time together immensely and it wouldn't be a bad thing to want to hang out with him again, to seek out those warm and fuzzy feelings that she found so nice.

"W-would you like to come up for some tea or something?" she asked as she continued to look at him, her cheeks burning with nervousness. It was hard to read Inuyasha. Reading and gauging his emotions was something she was still learning to do.

"I guess," he quickly replied.

"Okay." Kagome reached over to take off her seatbelt, letting the strap slide slowly through her fingers. Tea, did they have tea? Was the Shrine clean? Why was she worried about all of those little things? He'd been over before and she wasn't worried about these minor details.

Kagome opened the door and looked down, finding the sidewalk to be so far beneath her. She grabbed onto the door and onto the handle above her head as she tried to lower herself down without having her skirt ride up too high. That and she was wearing those damned high heels.

"Here."

Kagome found Inuyasha standing in front of her, arms reaching out. She quickly looked behind her and then back to Inuyasha. How did he move so fast? Kagome reached out for him as she tried to find the best footing.

Her hands found his broad shoulders as his hands wrapped around her small waist. For a moment, he felt like he could easily squeeze her and break her. He knew how little she was, but holding her like this, she became fragile to him. However, he didn't want to compare her to some doll. He knew she was more than that.

Her feet touched the ground as he planted her firmly and safely onto the sidewalk. Kagome looked up at him, finding him already looking down at her. His eyes always shone with such intensity. It was within his eyes that told her he was always thinking…always feeling…

She ran her hands down his chest, feeling his muscles through the navy blue t-shirt he wore. That strange feeling, the one that resided in the pit of her stomach, returned. It really was a strange feeling. It was weird and funny, but it also felt…good. A different kind of good. A new kind of good.

"Um…" Kagome let the noise slip out. Kagome didn't know what to do in situations like these. If she were Eri, she knew exactly how this would end. But she couldn't do that. That just wasn't something she could do. Yet, what could she do?

Kagome reluctantly pushed herself back a step, looking down at the sidewalk. "We…uh…we should probably go inside."

Inuyasha dropped his hands and backed away. Walking back to his truck, he shut the passenger door before reaching into the bed for Kagome's laundry bag. "Let's go then." He slung the bag over his shoulder and headed for the stairs.

"Hey, wait up," Kagome yelled as she chased after Inuyasha to catch up with him. "Hey…"

He chuckled as she tried to catch up with him. Kagome stopped about halfway up the steps, ripping her heels off. Hiking her skit up just above her knees, she was able to run up the steps at a much faster pace. Not that she expected to actually catch up with him, but the chase was fun.

Inuyasha waited for Kagome at the front door as she jogged her way over to him, panting. "Thanks for waiting," she teased. Reaching into her purse, she fished out her keys, unlocked the door, and opened it up. She stepped inside and motioned to him to enter. Inuyasha dropped the laundry bag on the floor next to the organized pile of shoes. Kagome dropped her heels on top of the pile and added her coat to the mess.

"I'm going to change really quick. You can wait here or in the kitchen." Kagome hurried up the stairs leaving Inuyasha alone downstairs. He sighed as he made his way over to the couch, not bothering to adjust the light.

Kagome wasn't gone too long, quickly changing into a pair of green lounge pants and a slim-fit white tee. "Anything specific you want?"

"No."

"Okay. I'll be back in a moment. Um, if you want to, you can turn on the TV or something." Kagome, with her fingers fidgeting, quickly turned and headed into the kitchen. Since she hadn't planned on having Inuyasha over, she didn't have anything prepared.

"What to make? Oh, why didn't I think about this before?" Kagome chatted with herself as she scoured the cupboards, pantry, and fridge, looking for something, anything, she could easily and quickly prepare for her guest. There had to be something.

"Maybe this'll work…" Kagome mused as she looked at the series of ingredients she held in her arms. She shrugged her shoulders as she went to work on preparing their snack.

"Oi."

"Inuyasha, what is it? I'm just making a quick snack. I haven't eaten since lunch."

"Bathroom's still upstairs, right?"

"Y-yeah…" Kagome turned back to the stove as soon as Inuyasha left. With Inuyasha's appetite, she wasn't sure how much to make.

"Kagome…what are you doing here?"

"Mama."

"I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow morning."

"How can you say that? Didn't you tell Inuyasha to pick me up from work?"

"Kagome, I've been at the theater for the last couple of hours."

"Eh, the theater?" Kagome pulled out plate and arranged her cooked snacks onto it. "With who?"

"Some shrine patrons. They took me to the Globe Theater in Shin-Okubo to watch some Shakespeare plays."

"That sounds like fun." Kagome was satisfied with the arrangement and outcome of the snacks. Even simple snacks had to be arranged to perfection. "Okay. That's done. Now, for a beverage…"

"There's some plum wine."

"Mama! Plum wine with-with grilled cheese sandwiches? That's just tacky—I was thinking more along the lines of water, maybe some soda or beer. But plum wine? No Mama, that's …no."

"It was only a suggestion. Anyway, I'm heading off to bed. Leave your laundry where it is and I'll take care of it in the morning. You go ahead and sleep in. I'm meeting some friends for brunch in the morning, okay? Good night."

"Night, Mama." Kagome watched as her mother left, trying to decide on a beverage. Opening the fridge, her fingers idled on the frosted bottle of plum wine. Tightly wrapping her fingers around the neck of the bottle, she took it out. Plum wine, grilled cheese sandwiches, and two cups, that was everything she needed.

Heading back out into the living room, she found Inuyasha on the couch flipping through the channels. She chuckled at the scene. Walking over to the couch, she set down the snacks on the table.

"I hope this is okay."

Inuyasha surveyed the goods. "Plum wine?"

Kagome sat down on the couch, taking a slice of grilled cheese with her to munch on. "Yeah. Mama suggested it." Kagome took a bite of the triple-cheesy snack. "Anything good on? I normally don't watch television."

"Me neither."

"So, what do you do when you're not working, reading, exercising, eating ramen, or sleeping?"

"That's it."

"That's…it? Really?" Kagome took the remote from Inuyasha and flipped it to the movie channel. "Ah, _Kamikaze Girls_. Have you seen this?"

"Nah, I don't like chick flicks."

"It's not that kind of chick flick. It's about finding your place in the world and discovering who your friends can be."

"Still a chick flick."

"Fine. Fine." Kagome flipped it to another channel that she knew played movies. "Ah, _Rashomon_?"

"Better than that frilly shit."

Kagome reached over, grabbed the bottle of plum wine and poured herself a glassful. Taking another slice of grilled cheese, she leaned back into the couch, and she tossed the remote over to the other side of the couch.

"Aren't you hungry?"

"In a sec."

Kagome took a sip of the plum wine to wash down the sandwich. "So, what did you do today?"

"Nothing really."

"Miroku and Sango came to the restaurant tonight. They look so cute together. I had to have Jakotsu as their server. He's into the fantasy of a sensitive guy taking care of him."

"Ha, wish I was there to see that. He gets so uncomfortable around fruits."

"He was a bit tongue-tied. Sango teased him about it as well. But I did make sure that Jakotsu didn't spend too much time flirting. I wanted them to have a nice evening."

"They say anything?"

"Not really. They did ask about you." Kagome finished off her glass of plum wine. "I told them I saw you and that we had dinner. But I didn't know what to say." Kagome refilled her glass with more of the clear alcohol beverage. "What am I supposed to say?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know. I can't say anything about your feelings. I couldn't really say anything about how I felt either. And I'm not the type that kisses and tells either."

"Better not. Especially to Miroku. That bastard is as bad as a woman."

Kagome finally smiled. "Yeah, he can be." Kagome took a quick sip of the wine. "Wo…"

"What?"

"Would you like some wine?"

"I'm fine."

"Okay. It's really good though. I wonder where Mama got it." Kagome finished up her second glass. "Have you seen this movie before? I've seen it once or twice. I still don't get it."

"Probably talked through the whole thing. Try watching it."

"You're right." Kagome giggled as she settled into the couch and against Inuyasha. She closed her eyes, enjoying how warm and comfortable he felt.

It wasn't long before her breathing evened out and she was snoring softly. Inuyasha took the empty glass out of her hand and placed it onto the table. She drank quite a bit of the stuff. He had a feeling she wanted to say something important to him. That was a problem because he just didn't like to talk much. She probably hadn't expected him to show up so soon after their date last night. But he wanted to see her, smell her…He really liked her scent.

Inuyasha wrapped an arm around her shoulders, hugging her closer to him. He turned his attention to the old black and white movie. What she started to say got him thinking. She never made any kind of point; instead, she quickly changed the subject before falling asleep.

"And for that low price you too can enjoy private pleasures from these vibrating cherries."

Inuyasha lifted his head off the back of the couch, opening his eyes, his ear twitching from the sounds of the television. Looking around, he found himself sitting on the couch at the Shrine. Kagome was snuggled up on his lap, causing him to jump slightly from her movements. He reached out, his hand hesitating before he laid it on her head, brushing her soft locks with his claws. Looking around the living room, he found the grandfather clock proudly displaying 3:14.

_When did I fall asleep_?

"Shit…" he whispered as he let out a deep exhale. He hadn't planned on staying here, falling asleep like this. It wasn't a bad thing, but he didn't know if it was good.

Slipping both hands underneath Kagome, he lifted her head up enough for him to slip out from underneath her only to gently set her back down on the couch. Kagome's whimper caused him to frown.

He couldn't just leave her all sprawled out like that. It looked uncomfortable. Bending down, he slipped his arms under her and scooped her up, cradling her against his chest. Kagome immediately turned toward his body, seeking his comfort and warmth, nuzzling her cheek against the fabric stretched against his chest.

He grinned down at her as he carried her up the stairs. Using his nose, he found the room that was weighed down the most with her scent and opened the door. He pulled the covers back and gently laid her down onto the mattress. Kagome whimpered against the pillow as she wiggled around before finding the position that would allow her to sleep peacefully for the rest of the night.

Brushing her hair away from her face, he left her a small kiss on her cheek. Closing his eyes, he inhaled slowly, relishing in her sweet scent one more time before leaving her. Her scent…he didn't understand it. He could name what she smelled like, but he knew that if he was presented with the same scent mixture, say in a perfume, the reaction wouldn't be quite the same. Was it because the scent was attached to a living being? Or this particular person?

Inuyasha closed the door to the Shrine, checking to make sure the door was locked before quickly making his way back to his truck. Inside, he turned on the radio, letting the music keep him awake until he made it home.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"I don't think I can look good in anything today," Kagome whined as she stood in the dressing room in only her underwear surrounded by a mess of clothes that had been tried on and then discarded.

"Kagome, you aren't seventeen anymore. That flashy hip stuff isn't for you," Ayame yelled from the booth next to Kagome's, admiring herself in a really nice-looking pair of pants. "What happened anyway?"

"I don't know," Kagome grumbled as she lifted up a dress Ayame picked out for her to try. "He picked me up from work. I invited him over and Mama suggested plum wine."

"Mama did? Really? So, were you…drunk?"

"No. Plum wine makes me sleepy. Tacked onto a full day of work…"

"So…what happened?"

"I fell asleep of course. Fell asleep before I could ask…hey Ayame?"

"What?"

"When did you and Kouga know that you were a couple? How did it happen?"

"You've had a boyfriend before Kagome. Why are you asking me this?"

"Hojo was so…well, he was so formal about it. Like in the movies or something. He was like 'Kagome, will you be my girlfriend?' and well, you know the rest."

"I can't remember actually. Well, considering Kouga, I think he just declared me 'his woman' and that was that."

"Was it like a week, two weeks, of dating?"

"Kagome, I can't remember. Is this really important?"

"Maybe. We've been on two dinner dates and a bunch of lunches. We've kissed, made out…" Kagome pulled herself up and peeked over the wall to look at Ayame. "And counting the part where 'once upon a time' he was my doctor, has touched more of me than Hojo ever did during any point in our relationship," she whispered to her friend.

"So, you want to be his girlfriend, officially, so you don't feel so dirty about the making out part?"

Kagome gasped and quickly turned away. "Not that."

"Then what?"

"I was asked."

"Oh, by who?"

"Sango and Miroku. They were at the restaurant Saturday night. The way it was asked, I don't think they were that serious about it, but…it got me thinking…"

"That you want to be official."

"Maybe. I think it would be nice."

"Then be a woman and ask him."

"Me? Ask him? Something tells me that he likes to be in control."

"The kissing."

"Eh?"

"The way he kisses you tells you that. Kouga is the same way. I get to be all dominating for two seconds and then super-duper-alpha-male mode kicks in. Yeah, you'll probably have to wait, but you can give him a choice."

"An ultimatum you mean?"

"No, a choice. It's obvious you like the guy and want to be with him, so let him know you're interested in more. Then he can decide what to do next."

"That sounds…devious."

"We're female. According to Kouga, it's our nature."

"Some of us can suppress our urges," Kagome mumbled as she lowered herself back down.

"Constant suppression can be a bad thing," Ayame sang after hearing Kagome's comment. "And there might come a point when you won't be able to suppress yourself around him."

Kagome tied the sash to the dress tightly around her waist. Oh, didn't she know that. She was afraid that the next time they were intimate like that, then it would go all the way. She still wasn't sure if she was ready for that.

"Do you have that dress on yet?"

"Yeah."

"Then work it for me."

Kagome stepped out of the dressing room, doing a quick twirl for Ayame. Ayame wolf-whistled as she clapped her hands together, beaming.

"Perfect."

"Perfect? Perfect for what?"

"Another date with Inuyasha. In that, he'll beg you to be his girlfriend."

"Is dressing like this a part of my feminine wiles?"

"Sure."

Kagome did feel pretty in the dress. Maybe, just maybe, she could think of something. She didn't want to trap him or deceive him in any way, but she knew she had to somehow make him want her to be his girlfriend.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Inuyasha sat in his office. It was Monday. Another boring Monday. It only meant that it was still another day before Tuesday. He did give Kagome a call Sunday night and apologized for leaving like he had. Then he listened as Kagome went on and on about how the alcohol made her sleepy and how she felt bad for falling asleep. She did thank him for carrying her to bed. He could hear her blush over the phone.

But that's where the call ended. No mentioning of what it was that she wanted to talk about Saturday night. Either she decided to drop the subject, or she couldn't remember it. He didn't press her about it either. Drama wasn't meant to happen over the phone. So they said their goodbyes and left things as they were.

Inuyasha shut his eyes and growled at the new scent in his office. Why did he leave his door open? It was an open invitation for those he didn't want to see.

"Like I wanted to come here," the cool voice spoke, somehow sensing the inu-hanyou's thoughts.

"Then _why_ are you here?" Inuyasha snapped back, ignoring his work for only a brief moment.

"We need to talk," Sesshoumaru replied, closing the door and locking it behind him.

"Talk? Right. You mean lecture."

Sesshoumaru sat down in a chair on the other side of Inuyasha's desk. "Inform and advise."

"What?"

"Just listen for a moment. Then you can say or do what you feel is necessary, and most likely stupid."

Inuyasha paused. Other than the name-calling part, he never heard Sesshoumaru speak quite like that. Dropping his pen down on his stack of papers, he directed his ears forward. And with every word he heard come out of Sesshoumaru's mouth, the less he felt like he actually had something to say back.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome looked herself over once more, still unsure about the top she decided to wear. It was a simple white cotton tank that had lace trim and a tie front. However, during her shopping trip with Ayame, Ayame suggested that she try one of those tops with the bra built in, giving her cleavage some extra va-va-va-voom. She paired the pushy top with some jeans and sandals. Ayame was convinced that Inuyasha would like it.

And in case he didn't, Kagome had a backup plan. Lifting up the wooden container, she could sense its warmness. Nothing like ramen 'to go.' And from the place that Inuyasha took her on their first date no less. She wasn't sure if the gesture would be lost on him or not.

Leaving the bathroom, Kagome took a deep breath as she neared the elevators she thought she'd never ride again, let alone be at the clinic itself. In a way, she felt a sense of sadness from this place. It didn't hold the best of memories for her. Other than the friendships she gained, there wasn't much else here for her.

She wasn't about to let the past bring her down. There was good news to share and she couldn't wait until their normal Tuesday lunch time to tell him. So she planned this little surprise.

"Saori," Kagome said as she walked into the Reproductive Endocrinology wing of the clinic.

"Oh my god! Kagome. Long time. Oh, you're looking good. How are you?"

"I'm fine. How are you?"

"So much has happened." Saori lifted her hand up to Kagome. "I'm getting married."

"Congratulations."

"It had to be fate that brought you here. Planning the wedding and we're stuck on the food part. What to serve so everyone is satisfied? Will you help? Could you?"

"Absolutely. The restaurant does catering." Kagome reached into her purse and pulled out a business card, handing it to Saori. "Give me a call later on."

"Wonderful. I'll tell him about this. He'll be so excited. Oh, um, you're here. So, what can I do for you?"

"Um, is Inuyasha available?"

"Dr. Takahashi? Let me see. Ah, yeah. He's got nothing scheduled so he should be in his office."

"Okay. Thanks." Kagome waved goodbye to Saori as she headed down the familiar hallway towards his office. Certain feelings that she didn't know she still had appeared, feelings of hopelessness. She swallowed hard, hoping to rid herself of those feelings until she left the clinic.

Kagome found his door slightly ajar. She peeked inside, finding him alone. She let out a sigh of relief. So far, so good. Pushing on the door, she let herself in, making sure to close the door shut to offer them a little bit of privacy. She was sure Miroku already knew she was here if Saori had the time to make a call.

Once she reached his desk, she set down the container that stored two bowls of that old man's ramen. "Surprise," she chuckled out knowing that she probably didn't surprise him. "I have some good news to share with you and I couldn't wait."

Inuyasha was sitting in his chair behind his desk, the back of his leather chair facing Kagome as he stared out the window. She noticed that his desk was completely cleared off, no papers, no files, no work.

"Uh, Saori said you didn't have any appointments."

No reply.

"I brought you some ramen. Not mine. That nice old man from your favorite restaurant said that this was your favorite. He even said he'd teach me how to make it."

Still nothing.

"Inuyasha? I guess I should've called." Kagome sighed. "Maybe I should go," she muttered quietly to herself. This was ridiculous. He was doing nothing in her presence. She knew he was rude, but like this? And to her?

"Maybe you should."

"Eh?" He talked?

"Leave," his low voice harshly commanded.

Kagome let out a tiny gasp. "Did…did I-I do something wrong?"

"You're still here?"

Kagome tightly grabbed onto the handle of the ramen container. What was going on? What was causing him to act like this? She really wanted to know. "Are you okay? Is there anything I can do?"

"Yeah, leave me alone."

Kagome's eyes darted back and forth as she quickly digested his harsh words. That hopeless feeling returned, but this time it felt much different, so deep. She felt like she had been kicked in the gut. She could feel the burning of fresh tears prickling at her eyes.

"Can you talk to me about it?" She had to try. She wanted to.

"Talking is fuckin' pointless!" he yelled from his spot.

Kagome didn't know whether she should laugh, cry, or yell. She had planned on telling him that she wanted to be his girlfriend and to give him a chance to consider it. But now…not again, not this same confusion about what they were to each other.

"Yeah, you've made _that_ clear." Kagome turned, ready to head out. Halfway to the door, she turned back and went to his desk. She wasn't about to let him have that ramen since it seemed he wasn't interested in it or her.

Once outside the in the hallway, Kagome quickly composed herself. She didn't need to start crying here, drawing unneeded attention to herself. Crying could always wait for later.

"Oh, that was quick."

"Yeah," Kagome said to Saori. "He had an important phone call."

"Was that…lunch?"

"Oh yeah, but he wasn't hungry. Do you want it? I don't have much of an appetite."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, it's fine. I wanted to surprise him, but…he's busy. I was just interrupting. I have to get back to work myself. Trouble at the restaurant."

"Sure, I'll take it. If you insist."

"It's no problem at all. There's a lot there, so you might want to share."

"Okay. Oh, I'll call you later on then, about catering."

"That'll be great. Bye." Kagome didn't hear if Saori said anything or not after that.

_Stupid surprise idea. Stupid shirt._

Kagome felt so exposed in it.

_Men!_

How was she supposed to interpret this?

Kagome sighed as the elevator took her down do the main level. Maybe he just needed a few days to cool down and collect his thoughts. She wanted to believe that this wasn't about her, but once again, his awesome handling of those communication skills of his proved to be so effective…effective at making her feel so useless and unimportant to him.

What was the point of being his girlfriend if she couldn't be there for him emotionally? The physical part seemed to be okay between them. But, she didn't want this to be an Eri-type relationship. Emotions were just as important to any real relationship as the physical. Did he know that?

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Unlike the last time she and Inuyasha had a miscommunication, Kagome didn't go running off to her friends this time around. There were no pajama-wearing emergency meetings to be summoned. She'd figured she could handle this one on her own. Kagome had patience. She could wait a little for him.

And so the rest of Tuesday passed like normal, minus the usual lunch. Kagome ate the dinner special alone. With spring fast approaching, Kagome wanted the balcony cleaned and ready so it would be opened in time for the cherry-blossom viewing festivals. So there was that and the usual restaurant to-do list that kept her occupied Wednesday, Thursday, and the early part of Friday.

Her patience had run out by Friday mid-afternoon. There was absolute no word from him and it really bothered her. She just had to know. Whatever it was, she needed to hear it from him. Inside the _KenSen_ kitchen, Kagome filled up yellow backpack with precut meat, noodles and a variety of vegetables. One thing she learned in the restaurant business was that a good meal could loosen lips.

Leaving the restaurant in the care of Bankotsu, she hopped onto a train that took her to the part of town that those with good jobs could afford—the nicer, more upscale apartments. When Saori had called yesterday to discuss appetizers and entrées, Kagome got her to spill the beans on Inuyasha's address. It didn't take much to get the information from Saori. In fact, she actually seemed eager to give the address away.

And that was how Kagome found herself standing at the entrance to the tall building. She pulled her cell phone out and scrolled down to his number. After two rings, the sound of him answering made her smile.

"Dr. Takahashi."

"Inuyasha, its Kagome. I was wondering-"

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"We need to talk."

And the line was dead. Kagome pulled the cell phone away from her ear and stared at it as if she didn't even know what the thing was. How could he…? Stuffing the phone into her pocket, she could no longer contain the tears that she had been storing up for the last couple of days. That and she really needed to talk to someone who could explain _this_ Inuyasha to her. Sango didn't live too far from here.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Sango also lived in one of those nicer and larger-sized apartments in one of the taller buildings in the city. Kagome hoped to one day live in one for a while. She had been to Sango's place a couple of times and fell in love with its view. Kagome imagined Sango sitting on the balcony thinking deeply about relationships with the Tokyo skyline as a part of her inspiration. The clouds, the sea, even the city's night lights, could all provide symbolism to how living beings think and carry out their lives.

She felt really bad for coming over unannounced. Strange how her cell phone ran out of battery on her way over. Kagome had kept the thing constantly on in hopes of a call from Inuyasha. She couldn't remember when she had charged it last either. If Sango wasn't home, she had a list of friends she could still visit.

Kagome took a deep breath, tying to subdue the sobs and still her quivering body. Once she reached Sango's door, Kagome pressed the doorbell a few times and then stood back to wait and see if anyone was home. Miroku liked to take Sango out on the weekends and it was possible that they were out somewhere having a good time. Kagome was happy for the couple and wanted them to be together always. She couldn't imagine either of them with someone else. She was such a hopeless romantic, for everyone but herself.

"What?"

Kagome stared at the person standing at the door. Had she cried that much?

"Inuyasha, what kind of takeout do you want?" Sango asked from somewhere in the apartment. When Inuyasha didn't reply, Sango walked over to the door holding several paper menus in her hands. "Did you want to order pi…zza…? Kagome. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, Kagome's here?" Miroku's voice asked from some other location within the apartment.

Inuyasha looked down at the floor, the only way he could avoid Kagome's blank, watery stare.

"I'm sorry," Kagome's trembling voice whispered as the backpack of food fell out of her hand, plopping down onto the wooden floor. "I…I-I shouldn't have come." Kagome quickly turned and ran down the hallways towards the elevator. She violently pressed the buttons, praying to whichever god was listening that the doors would hurry and open up so she could get away from this moment.

_What is going on?_

"Kagome?" Sango called out peering past Inuyasha and around the corner.

"I thought Kagome was here," Miroku said as he stood behind Inuyasha.

"I think she left," Sango commented as she stepped back into the apartment.

"Fuck!" Inuyasha yelled out, turning to Miroku. "What the hell? Why'd you hit me?"

"For letting Kagome leave."

"Doesn't mean you should fuckin' hit me."

"Actually…yes it does. Have you told her what's going on?"

"Of course not."

"Have you told her anything?"

"I haven't fuckin' talked to her at all."

"I see."

"You see what Miroku?" Sango asked as she felt that she was missing something.

"Saori was right," he calmly mused. Miroku raised his hand and smacked Inuyasha across the head again. "Go get her."

"Ow. No. She has nothing to do with this."

"If she means anything to you at all, you will go get her and explain it to her."

Inuyasha growled. This situation was already worse than he originally had planned. And it wasn't all his plan. But it pained him to hurt her like this. He knew he caused her pain. It was in her voice, her scent, and he knew she even cried painful tears. This week was just as difficult for him.

"Kagome…" he called out after her as he ran down the hallway.

Kagome was already at the elevator furiously tapping the buttons. Up, down, it didn't matter. She heard Inuyasha calling her name. All it did was cause more tears. Why did this hurt her so much?

"Hurry," she muttered at the elevators as Inuyasha's footsteps approached. She closed her eyes tightly, squeezing more tears out.

_Don't look back. Don't look back._

"Kagome," he delicately spoke her name. The amount of tears she had cried and was crying now tore at him. Yeah, he hated it when any woman cried. But Kagome's tears drowned his heart. It was unlike anything he'd ever experienced.

"I'll be…be g-gone as…as s-soon as the ele-elevator arrives." She choked on the words as she continued to sob. Yanking down on the sleeves of her sweatshirt, she quickly wiped her dripping eyes and runny nose. Old tears were quickly replaced with fresh ones.

"Damnit…Kagome…" Inuyasha ran his claws through his hair. "You're right. We need to talk."

Kagome pressed the elevator button again. Where was that contraption at? She didn't know what to think at this moment. "T-talk? Half…half-hour a-ago you said…you said you d-didn't want to talk…to talk to me."

"I changed my mind."

"You or-or them?" Kagome tried the elevator buttons again. Was it broken? "I…I came to…to talk to S-Sango a-and ask…ask her about y-you. I…I-I…I only w-wanted t-to help y-you."

Inuyasha was stunned. This wasn't what he thought it was about. He took a step towards her, reaching out to take a hold of her arm. "Let's go then."

Kagome let out a hiccup. He had to be the most indecisive man she'd ever met. It made her head spin. She couldn't figure out what to do. Was it her presence here, Inuyasha witnessing her turbulent emotions, forcing him to speak when he wasn't ready? Did he still need more space and time to think things through?

The elevator doors finally opened. It was empty. Kagome took a staggered step forward. She really wanted to stay, to be with him, and help him. But if he didn't want her help, than an empty elevator was the best she could ask for.

"I-if you c-can't learn t-to trust me now…" And Kagome stopped. She couldn't finish the sentence. She had tried. That had to count for something. And she would walk away without forcing him to do something uncomfortable. All she wanted to do was be there for him. That was it. Whether it be as a friend or as a girlfriend. Sure she breached some relationship faux pas by telling him that they needed to talk and for that she was sorry.

Kagome stepped inside the elevator, her head bowed down as she reached over and pressed a button. It didn't matter which one. Anyone would do. She wasn't running away. This was her stepping back and giving the hanyou his space.

"Stay," Inuyasha softly said, his hand stopping the elevator doors from completely shutting Kagome away from him. "Please."

The tone in his voice made her spin around to see if that sincerity could be found in his eyes. She saw more then. She saw conflict and not the kind she thought it was. He was struggling with himself. And she realized what it was. She was once like him - independent. Even with Hojo, she thought she could handle anything and everything by herself, until that day of the crash. She tried and failed. No one could do it alone.

Kagome nodded as she stepped out of the elevator, the doors closing shut behind her. Tearing her eyes away from his, she slowly walked down the hallway back to Sango's apartment. As she walked, she continued to wipe her eyes and nose with her damp sweatshirt sleeves. Inuyasha followed behind her by just a few steps. Tonight was going to be a long night.

She entered Sango's apartment, finding its owner in a hushed-argument with her boyfriend. They quieted themselves completely when Inuyasha shut the door a little louder than needed. It was enough to grab their attention.

"Hey Kagome," Sango softly said walking up the tear-stained girl. "I brought your bag in for you." Sango pointed to the yellow backpack on the counter in the kitchen.

Kagome nodded. "Yakisoba."

Sango squealed. "Will you stay and make some?"

"Sure."

"Good. I'm sorry but I kinda peeked in it…"

Kagome shook her head, a faint smile gracing her puffy, red face. "It's okay."

"Inuyasha. Miroku. Go down the convenience store and grab some drinks."

"Uh, Sango…" Miroku started to protest as he stared at Sango before his eyes turned toward Inuyasha's direction and then back to Sango.

"Go. It's only a ten minute walk."

"What should we get?"

"Everything. I'm totally out. And some snacks, too…for later on."

Miroku nodded. Grabbing Inuyasha by the arm, he pulled the hanyou out the door. Once the door was shut, Sango turned to Kagome, throwing her arms around the poor girl, giving her a good, comforting squeeze.

"S-sango…" Kagome breathed out in surprise.

"I didn't know he was doing this to you. If I did…well…it wouldn't have been pretty." Sango released Kagome, but held onto her shoulders. "Are you going to be okay?"

Kagome nodded her head and then the nodding slowly transformed into a shake. "I went to his office Tuesday with some ramen to surprise him with some good news."

"So that's where Miroku got the ramen. He and Saori got together to share lunch and rumors. Oh, wait until I get my hands on him."

"I let him have his space Sango. Right? Guys needs that. I wasn't trying to worry myself over the reasons why he wasn't showing up to our lunches. Was three days not enough?"

"That's kinda hard to answer."

"I tried again. I want to be there for him, no matter what. I know that things aren't always wonderful. Even if I don't have the answers…I just…for him…"

"It's harder for Inuyasha. He's…well, he's been through a lot in his life."

"I know that," Kagome cried out. She remembered him telling her about his past. She had to defend him in front of that strange guy. Returning to the food in her bag, she pulled the vegetables out, washed them and began cutting them up. "I thought that I had somehow proved myself to him."

"And you may have if Inuyasha were any other guy."

"Great. Hojo was the 'I'll-trust-anyone' guy and Inuyasha is the 'I-don't-trust-nothing' guy."

Sango chuckled at the girl. "You know how to make things overly dramatic. Anything I can do to help? The boys should be back soon."

Kagome nodded and started to slowly explain to Sango the steps she could do to help prepare the yakisoba for dinner. Sango had been taught by Kagome a few times on cooking easy items and the girls learned that it was best if Sango's help included getting out the necessary plates and other cooking items, leaving the real cooking to Kagome.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Inuyasha, what have you been thinking?" Miroku asked as he surveyed the varied beverage choices.

"Nothing."

"No, you did something to make her that upset."

"It's none of her damn business anyways."

"And that's not a good reason to ignore her and push her away like you did."

"I just can't deal with her right now."

"Then when?"

"When this is over with."

"And you think she'll wait? Because while women have been gifted with an enormous amount of patience, without a worthwhile reason, they'll walk away."

"I don't know why you're trying to lecture me on this shit."

"Isn't it obvious? You need help getting through this. And not our help. But the kind only Kagome can give you."

Inuyasha sighed after he digested Miroku's words. Miroku had a point. Then again, Miroku always had a point. Inuyasha was at a loss when it came to this relationship stuff. Never had he gotten to this point with any of the previous girls he had dated. Yet, none of those girls were anything like Kagome.

They grabbed a bunch of stuff and paid for it all, hauling four sacks of beverages and snacks back to Sango's apartment. The boys found the girls laughing in the kitchen as Kagome mixed up the stir-fried noodle dish. Once the boys made their presence known, the girls stopped talking, but shared knowing looks and more giggles.

"Will dinner be done soon ladies?"

"Yeah, it's almost ready," Kagome replied as she checked the noodle mix one more time. Sango handed Kagome plates so Kagome could dish out the servings. Inuyasha was served triple the amount.

Everyone settled in Sango's living room, kneeling around the table placed in the center of the room. Kagome and Miroku sat in between Inuyasha and Sango. Random bottles of beverages littered the table. Chopsticks clicked as thanks were given and everyone started in on their meals.

They are mostly in silence. Only slurping sounds were heard. No one knew how to start. And no one knew what the right thing to say was. It made dinner even more awkward than what it already was.

"I hope I wasn't asked to stay just to be the chef," Kagome said half-jokingly as she popped open a bottle of flavored water.

Everyone else coughed, quickly swallowing down the food they didn't want to choke on. That was one way to crack the delicate silence. Miroku and Sango exchanged looks. Now it was a matter of who was going to reply and say what.

"Of course not," Miroku was the first to reply. "It's just difficult to hold a conversation when eating such a delicious meal."

Sango and Kagome both rolled their eyes at him. Sango set her chopsticks down and was prepared to be the one to share the news.

"I don't know how much Inuyasha tells you about his job."

"Not much. I mean, I understand though, about the medical profession and their rules of confidentiality. It's why I've never really asked about it."

"Right. Um, well, we had an incident. A patient died over the weekend."

"Oh no."

"We do get still births," Miroku added, making the point that deaths do happen at the clinic. "But this was an adult patient, one of Inuyasha's."

Kagome looked over at Inuyasha. He had his head bowed, his eyes hiding behind his fluffy bangs as he kept his mouth busy with eating. "Was it the one that you said you had complications with?"

Inuyasha nodded. He pushed his empty plate away. It was time to join the conversation. "The one with the reaction."

"Is that what caused her…her death?"

"She…she had a fuckin' allergy. Didn't even tell us."

"Did she even know? We have the same problem at work. Food allergies. They are the most common. A lot of our guests are from out of town on business and have never eaten some of the food we serve. Your brother was helpful about that. We were worried about lawsuits and he said that if we made a note about food allergies, then we'd be okay. Lucky for us, we haven't had any problems."

"Sesshoumaru is working on this case right now," Sango mentioned before taking a sip of some juice drink the boys bought.

Kagome looked over at Inuyasha. "I'm sorry. I know how dedicated and committed you are to your work." Kagome didn't know if she could help him any, but that wouldn't stop her from trying. Reaching out, she covered her hand with his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I believe in you," she softly said to him.

Inuyasha snatched his hand away. "It's not that fuckin' simple," he quickly shot out before standing up and walking over to the balcony door, pacing in front of the glass entrance.

Kagome watched him get up and leave. "Wha…" she breathed out as his rejection settled in. Kagome turned away from him, her body trembling as her hands fisted into tiny balls. "Then what can I do? I give you space. You ask me to stay. I want to help and…what? You don't want it? I don't…I just don't understand. What is going on?"

"Kagome-" Sango started to stop the girl from saying something she might regret.

"No. I know I came here looking to you for a way to understand him, but I can't have you explaining things for him. He needs to do it himself."

"It's not like that Kagome," Sango added, feeling Kagome's anger and confusion.

"I know that there's more to this. There has to be."

"What makes you suspect that?" Miroku looked at Sango and then to Inuyasha, concern etched deeply in his plum-colored eyes.

"Inuyasha."

Inuyasha didn't look at her; instead, he paused in his pacing. He crossed his arms defensively across his chest before resuming his back and forth walk. Sango and Miroku were intrigued with Kagome's reply.

"He's not blaming the patient for her own death. Not ranting and raving on and on about how she should've been aware of her limitations. Instead he's…" Kagome turned to look at him, "…not submissive but…compliant. Like someone told him to be like this." Kagome looked back over at Miroku and Sango. "Sesshoumaru?"

"It is Sesshoumaru who told Inuyasha to remain calm while he and his army of lawyers sort through the paperwork."

Kagome sighed. That made sense. Inuyasha was a liability, well, his mouth was. Still…she glanced back over at him, watching him as he paced in front of the balcony door, his eyes narrowed; the usual scowl on his face as if he was mad at the entire world. The longer she looked at him, studying him, something didn't feel right about all of this. For Inuyasha, this was personal.

Sango glanced down at her watch. It was getting late, but not too late for a Friday. This wasn't how she pictured tonight. It was supposed to be more relaxed. The tension between Kagome and Inuyasha was thick, dangerous even. Inuyasha was so stubborn that he could really screw this up. Sango didn't know whose side to take right now.

"How about we play a game? Mahjong? Anyone?" Sango said brightly as she was trying to find some way to cease this nauseating tension. When no one replied, she offered up an alternative, "Playstation?"

"What games?" Kagome softly asked as she turned away form the hanyou. If he just told her that this wasn't something he could share with her, that'd be okay. If he just told her that he was angry or something, she could be fine with that. But this was really hurting her. She needed him to trust her. She trusted him.

"Let's look," Sango suggested. Crawling over to her TV, she pulled out the box that held her Playstation games. "I keep these over here for when Kohaku comes over to visit."

"That's your brother, right?"

"Yeah. Younger. He's at Tokyo U. right now studying political science or something. And English. I think he wants to do a study abroad over there, working for the embassy. Here, see if there's anything you like. I'll clean the dishes since you cooked."

Kagome flipped through the games. Sango picked up the dirty dishes and took them into the kitchen, placing them in the sink. Miroku quietly sat against the couch, sipping on his beverage. Inuyasha remained pacing by the balcony door. No one was talking to anyone.

Kagome pushed the box away. There was no motivation to be found in virtual ass-kicking games, not tonight. She just wanted the truth from everyone, which she knew she wasn't getting. If they just told her that they couldn't talk about it, all of them, she'd accept that as a viable answer. Between medical privacy laws and lawyer stuff, there was a lot that couldn't be discussed.

"Miroku could you come here for a moment?" Sango asked from her place in the kitchen.

Miroku placed his drink down on the table. "She still has trouble with the dishwasher," he quietly said to Kagome barely getting a smile out of her.

Miroku joined Sango in the kitchen knowing full well that this wasn't about dishes. He wondered what kind of plan she had. Sango always had insight into couples. Either it came from her training or it was an innate talent, but somehow, she knew exactly what couples needed to start working on fixing their problems.

"So coach, what's the play?"

Sango started whispering her idea to Miroku who nodded along with a sly smile on his face. He nodded not only at the existence of such a plan, but its substance as well. For these two, with their personality types, Sango's plan could help them. They would make sure the couple got a good push in the right direction.

"How long do we have you think?"

"Five minutes, if that," Sango replied as she rinsed off the plates.

"Is this right? Should we be doing this?"

"That's so unlike you. You usually have more confidence, and more hope when it comes to these types of situations. Are you hesitant because these are your close friends?"

"Perhaps. I try not to play cupid when the situation isn't as happy as this."

"We're not playing cupid, not at all. Kagome and Inuyasha are already on that path. This is intervention to keep them going in the right direction. They've hit a dead-end once, which they managed to work around. We're just making sure they will be able to still be together. Is that right?"

"We'll see if you're right."

Miroku wrapped an arm around Sango's waist as they walked together back into the living room. Inuyasha was still pacing in front of the balcony. Sango was worried that he was going to wear her floor out. Kagome was sitting on the floor, her back against the couch, staring at Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha, wanna play some Tekken?" Miroku asked as he sat down on the floor, pulling the box of video games towards him. "I think you still owe me a rematch."

Inuyasha did nothing. He didn't even stop to look at Miroku. Sometimes, Miroku was rather transparent. He knew they had something up their sleeve. They usually did. And he didn't want to be a part of it at all.

Kagome pushed herself up. "I think I'm going to go."

Sango quickly stood up. "Are you sure? I mean-"

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's probably best if I go."

"It might not be," Miroku commented as he pulled out an interesting looking game and began to examine its over.

"Well, what is it then?" Kagome cried out. She was reaching a limit she didn't even know she had. "I can't sit here and do nothing. I want to help. I've tried to and…and not one of you is-" Kagome stopped herself. Why was she investing so much of herself into their problem at their workplace?

Kagome bowed to her three friends. "I wish you the best during this difficult time and" Kagome froze mid-bow as she was starting to stand back up, her eyes widening. "Ah…how…" Kagome stood up straight, her mouth flapping like a goldfish.

"You might need to sit down for this," Sango suggested as she took a gentle grip of Kagome's shoulders and pushed her down onto the couch, taking the seat next to the girl. "You are right, there is more to this."

Kagome jumped off the couch, stumbling her way over to the jittery Inuyasha. He stopped his pacing and stared at her, his eyes clashing with hers. Kagome took another step towards him. Reaching up, she cupped his cheek, her thumb running over his smooth skin, his eyes…his deep violet eyes.

Her hand moved into his lush, ink-stained hair, as if the silver had rapidly tarnished. And his ears…he head ears like hers, human. "Is this what you were afraid of?" she whispered as her eyes searched his. Different color, but they still belonged to the same person, windows to the same soul.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to reply, but quickly shut it. He didn't know what to say right now. But her question, the one question she asked out of all of the possible questions she could've asked, it really showed him the kind of person she was.

"Can you tell me what's going on?"

"Inuyasha, you better explain the, um, obvious part," Miroku suggested as he took a seat next to Sango.

Inuyasha stepped back, away from Kagome and turned so that he was staring out the window. The sun had just set, burning the horizon with a bright orange glow. The fiery color faded into a soft purple sky that was ready for night. A few stars had already popped up, twinkling so early in the evening.

"Because I'm hanyou…part dog demon, part human…I have a moment of weakness. The night of the new moon I become like…this."

"How-how long does it last?"

"Until the sun rises."

Kagome let out a huge sigh. For a moment there, she thought she had lost the ears, the golden eyes and the silver hair of the man she was so attracted to. He wasn't bad looking at all as a human. And if she was going to be with him, this was the beginning. She'd accept it, as she had already accepted him.

"Was it that bad? To share this with me?"

"Keh," was his only response.

Miroku cleared his throat, breaking the intense gaze the couple was sharing. "Not that this is cleared up, I'll explain the rest."

"The rest…?"

"_This_ could be used against Inuyasha," Miroku explained.

"Used against him? How?"

"Simple…Inuyasha loses any abilities related to his demon ancestry such as enhanced sight, hearing, his acute sense of smell…"

"I don't understand."

"Sesshoumaru thought of it actually. The lawyers representing the patient could conclude that Inuyasha was not able to 'scent' her allergic reaction, making him liable for her death."

Kagome turned and directed her glance at Inuyasha. "You can smell allergic reactions?"

"Basically. Something to do with lgE antibodies. I can small their change in a person's blood."

"Oh…okay." Kagome then turned her attention back to Miroku. "But Inuyasha said she was stabilized."

"True and that matter will be addressed. As far as Sesshoumaru is concerned, he just needs to protect the clinic. If he can convince whoever that the clinic was not responsible, then her death will have to be explained by the hospital."

"Did you smell this allergic reaction?"

"Fuck yeah. It's how I knew she was having one. We stopped all procedures, stopped the administration of all drugs and called an ambulance. I'm not a fuckin' allergist-immunologist, so I don't know what caused her to flip out. We administered some antihistamines to stabilize her before the ambulance arrived. Shit…that was all I could do."

"And you said this to your brother?"

"Of course I did. And that asshole knows…"

"So, is this his plan?"

"Yes and no," Sango answered. "Inuyasha has been staying with either Miroku or I for the last few years. However, because of this mishap, Sesshoumaru just wanted us to be careful this time around. And for as long as we have to while this case is opened."

"Everything will be okay then," Kagome happily said.

Inuyasha quickly turned away, heading swiftly down the hallway, disappearing into one of the extra rooms. Everyone winced at the sound of the door slamming shut.

Miroku glanced over at Sango. "Well, that went better than I thought it would."

"Is he okay?"

"As okay as someone who lives their days as a hanyou only to be robbed of that life one night every moon cycle," Sango replied to Kagome's question. And though her answer shed some light on Inuyasha, it didn't do enough.

She marched herself down that hallway, stopping in front of the door. Taking in a deep breath, Kagome opened the door to the guest bedroom, letting herself in and then closing the door behind her.

Miroku let out a sigh of relief, tossing his head back against the couch. "So…"

"What?"

"Wanna play some Tekken? I'm sure this'll take them a while."

"You do owe me one, don't you?"

"Let's make it interesting…strip Tekken."

Sango slid off the couch and crawled over the TV, pulling out the Playstation. Miroku frowned when she unplugged the gaming device from the wall and the TV.

"It was only a joke Sango," Miroku tried to explain to her.

"I don't need to have you naked in my living room," she quickly said, glancing at him and giving him a naughty grin.

"Sango I do believe that sounded like a challenge…I accept." Miroku grabbed the game, as well as a few beverages as he followed Sango down the hallway to their bedroom. "Was this a part of your plan as well?"

"Necessity is the mother of invention and it's necessary to entertain ourselves while they talk." Sango looked coyly over her shoulder and winked at him. He in turn grinned, shut the door, and locked it up.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Inuyasha?" Kagome called out, her voice soft and shaky. The bedroom was completely dark. She couldn't see anything or anyone. But she was sure Inuyasha had come to this room. "Inuyasha?" she called out again.

"Are you going to ignore me until tomorrow?" she asked as her eyes started to adjust to the darkness. "Are…are you ashamed to be human?" Kagome heard something that sounded something like a snort. She moved toward the sound of said snort, fumbling her way around the room's furniture. "That's what this is really about, isn't it?"

"No," he gruffly replied.

Kagome, figuring out that this soft object was the bed, sat down. "Is it that hard, the change?"

"It's…it's like wearing earmuffs, a blindfold and a clothespin on my nose. I feel shitty…I hate it. I fuckin' hate it. If I could…I wouldn't go through this."

Kagome giggled. Inuyasha growled at her, the best he cold as a human. "I know it's not exactly the same, but, woman have their time of the month and many of use hate it too. Some say we should embrace it because it defines a part of who we are and the burden we must endure when it comes to children. You have to accept your monthly change too because you like it or not, it's a part of who you are."

"Don't you think I know that? Fuck…woman can get drugs. I can't."

"You would really give it up?"

"Yes."

"But then you wouldn't be you. I happen to like you. I…I don't want you to change."

"I just did."

"That's not what I mean. Before tonight, you know this was coming and yet you continued to go on. You were just being you. And I'm sure tomorrow, you'll continue on just like you have always done."

"So, I just don't like this."

"What's so wrong with being human? I'm a human."

"It's different."

"Why? I…what am I missing?"

"I can't smell you," he blurted out.

"Eh?"

"I'm…damn…" He didn't want that bit of information to slip. "That…" and he didn't know how to cover.

"My smell? Are you saying that I stink?"

"No. Far from it."

"So…you like my scent?" Kagome asked both surprised by the declaration and hopeful that it meant something more to the currently dark-haired male.

"Maybe."

"Really?"

"Does it matter?"

"It must. You brought it up." Kagome smiled to herself. "You have a scent as well. At least only from what I can detect with my weak human nose."

"You…can smell me?"

"Mm-hmm. I like it." Kagome moved up more onto the large-sized bed. "Where are you exactly?"

"Here," he whispered huskily as he wrapped his arms around her, eliciting a startled gasp from her. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Only four know about this and for me, that's too many. You just wanted to help. I'm not used to getting any help."

"It's okay."

"No. I hurt you. I know I did. And I did it on purpose to protect myself."

"Are you okay with me knowing this?"

"Yeah. I guess you are right. We need to trust each other if…"

"You're very talkative, and sincere right now."

"Keh, it's the fuckin' side effect of being human."

"This doesn't change anything. I still want to be with you."

"I'll let you."

"You'll let me? Why you…" Kagome started to giggle as human hands tickled her sides. Inuyasha stopped as quickly as he started. "What is it?"

"I have to say this to you now."

"Why now?"

"Because I probably won't say it later when I'm hanyou again."

"Okay, what is it?"

"Sex," he blurted out a little too quickly.

"WHAT?!"

"Fuck, that hurt," Inuyasha shot back, covering his somewhat sensitive human ears with his hands.

"Well…"

"Shit. All right. I don't want to pressure ya or anything. But last Friday, if we weren't at your restaurant…" Kagome nodded her head at her quick understanding of what Inuyasha hadn't said. "I think I can wait for you to be ready. I don't want to…I don't know…make ya feel you were forced to do it because I'm damned well primed to go."

"Oh."

"I'm basically giving you…control."

"Wow."

"What?"

"You don't…forget anything said during your human night, do you?"

"No. My brain ain't broken."

"Is it hard?" Realizing the inadvertent double entendre she made, Kagome quickly corrected herself, "I mean…not that! Is it difficult for you to give up control?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we'll just see how things go. I'm…I'm on the pill again. My gynecologist prescribed them for me to get my hormones all balanced again after all of the treatments."

"It's not Miroku is it?"

"Oh no. No. I…I'd be too embarrassed. That and it'd be weird. You know with him being with Sango and both being my friends." Kagome nibbled on her bottom lip. "So, are we okay?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, are we okay? Can you come to me with your problems? I understand that certain aspects, eh, details of your job are to be kept private, but you can still tell me what you can. You can vent," she chuckled out. Souta would do that with her. And she did it with him. Without giving away too much information, they would just go on and on about how angry, frustrated, and hurt they were. But the venting helped.

"Vent?" he asked suspiciously. He'd never trusted a girl he was dating enough to vent.

_Dating? We're…we're dating? Like boyfriend and girlfriend?_

He looked at her, seeing the outline of her in the dark. She had put in more effort than any other girl to be there for him. And this wasn't about sex at all. She was genuinely concerned about him and his feelings. Other than his mother and his two close friends, no one was ever interested in how he felt.

Beautiful she was, inside and out. He stared at her, wondering how someone like her entered his life. He then tightened his fists. His human night made him softer than normal. This time around, it wasn't as bad. He had someone to really share it with.

"Come here," he instructed her.

"What?" she squeaked when she felt him pulling on her towards him.

"Lie down."

Kagome nodded her head and felt around the bed, trying to get her bearings. Finding the pillows, she stopped and pulled off her sweatshirt, tossing it onto the floor. She laid down on her back, head on her pillow, her hands folded across her abdomen.

Inuyasha laid down next to her, wrapping an arm over her waist and then he pulled her over to him. Kagome blushed as soon as she felt him wrap his body around hers, burrowing his face deeply in her hair. Kagome closed her eyes. Being embraced by him like this…this felt so perfect. Inuyasha thought the same thing. He had found a person he could belong with.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's notes**: Hi. Took a while to get here, didn't it? So, I hope you enjoyed it. It was long, a little bit of drama, a little bit of togetherness as well as the introduction of Inuyasha's human night. I gave his human night a twist by introducing the patient plotline. A way to tie in Inuyasha, his work, who he is and how Kagome fits into it all, or how he wants Kagome to fit into is his life as well. So, not all fluff.

On a side note, I will be taking a little sabbatical from this story for about a week or two. So I have this new job, well not really new much anymore. I've been there for two months now. Anyway, someone put in their two week notice and I was tapped to replace him. Replacing him means I have to learn a whole bunch of stuff. In order for me to learn what I need to know, I have to concentrate on that. So Chapter 24 will be a bit delayed. I hate to do this, but I realize that I have to. That's the thing about being an adult, there's adult things to be done, like a job. I actually have an outline for chapter 24 done and I'll probably do one for the next chapter as well. I won't stop writing. I don't think I could if I tried. But I'm not going to be spending every free moment writing. Have to save some of that time to memorize procedures. Also, by telling you this, please, in your reviews, don't ask me to update soon, because I'm not going to. I'd rather hear about this story's substance than your wishes of a faster update. I won't be completely out of the loop either. PM me or leave me a comment on my LJ if you want. If you have a question about something that I haven't resolved yet from a previous chapter, that'd be cool to let me know.

Well, now that is over, a few notes about some of the information in this story that you might need some explanations on.

The recipe for yakisoba is posted on my LJ site. Basically 'yaki' means fried and 'soba' is a type of noodle, hence fried noodle. It's a quick and popular Japanese dish.

The Globe Theater is the name of the theater where Shakespeare did a lot of his plays in England. In Shin-Okubo, there is a replica of The Globe Theater built there in Japan and Shakespeare plays are performed in both English and Japanese. A lot of popular Japanese actors get there start performing theater there.

Kamikaze Girls is a recently made Japanese movie that I watched in my Japanese class last year. It was entertaining. I would recommend it. I don't know if I would call it a chick flick, there is a gang fight in it, but it's a friendship flick.

Rashomon. Basically, _the_ Japanese movie of Japanese movies, directed by _the_ Kurosawa. I would explain the plot, but for anyone who's seen it, that's nearly impossible. The movie is about a rape and murder that takes place in the woods and the witnesses, the rape victim and even the one who was murdered each testify their version of the events at the court. The basic moral of the story is that the whole truth about an event can never be fully known.

The woman's allergic reaction hasn't been revealed yet because it is important to next part of that story, so it will remain a secret. Antihistamines is one of the drugs used to treat an allergic reaction. Adrenaline in the form of epinephrine is more commonly used. Why I didn't use epinephrine will also be explained later, so hang tight.

Plum wine is a wine made from _ume_, a type of Asian plum found in Japan and the Koreas. It's fermented plums. The plum wine version found in the US is sweeter than the Japanese version.

Lastly, the subways in Japan are notoriously known for perverts. Because of the cramped space, it's easy for perverts to fondle whomever they want in subways.

I think that's about it. Nothing like notes to make the chapter even longer. Thank you so much for your support and please bear with me as I make this transition at work.

roshully


	24. Chapter 24

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Twenty and FourSisters and Brothers**

Darkness tickles…

Kagome moaned as she was enveloped in gentle warmth. Her back arched, but her movements were restricted. She tried reaching out, but she was caught. Not that she really wanted to escape from this filling feeling she was experiencing. Her lips parted and she moistened them just as she slowly exhaled. What was this?

Violet burns…

This feeling was new and needed. Was this a part of what she was searching for? She snuggled closer to it, whatever it was. It couldn't leave her. She wouldn't let it. Moving her body around, she had to see if she could touch it, feel the realness of it.

Soft skin…hard muscles…

Kagome's eyes popped open from two uncomfortable feelings, a burning sensation and a squeezing one. She looked down to see an arm, not hers, draped over her waist and snaked up her shift, and a hand – she gulped – also not hers, clutched onto her breast. Then there was the tell-tale burning of having to urinate. It was definitely morning.

Prying off his hand was impossible. It only put her in a tighter bind when owner of said hand wrapped a leg around hers. She wasn't going anywhere. She glanced over her shoulder and saw a head of black hair entangled with her own. He was still human. So, she still had a fighting chance. It was human versus human.

Carefully, and painfully slowly, she pulled her leg out, stuffing blankets into its place to try and fool her captor. The hard part was his hand. Kagome was pretty sure she couldn't substitute a pillow or blanket for that part of her body. She figured her only chance of getting out was to pry it off quickly and slip out quicker than he could latch back on. If nothing else, it was worth a shot.

Her cheeks flushed when she reached her own hand up her shirt and placed it on top of his. It was strange how she didn't mind it and was actually enjoying it, even though she was still embarrassed by it. She knew this kind of contact happened. Only now, it was happening to her and not someone else. Kagome pulled his hand up and, with all of the strength she could muster this early in the morning, she scooted away from him, dropping his hand once she was safe.

Scuttling across the carpeted floor, Kagome slipped into the guest bathroom to take care of her business. She fixed her messy hair up and washed her hands and face before crawling back into bed. Somehow, even in his human form, he sensed her presence for as soon as she lay down, he was spooning her tightly again, as if he would never let her go.

Kagome blushed again when his hand found the position it had taken up earlier. She couldn't believe him. Was this just male senses or something related to his demon ancestry? Inuyasha was still human though, so it totally had to be a guy thing. She might have to ask about it. Or not.

Closing her eyes, she yawned as sleep once again crept upon her. The only problem she had with going to sleep so soon was that Inuyasha wasn't going to be human for much longer. How would he react, in his hanyou form, to what his human form had done the night before? She would hate for something between them to change. He could easily change his mind, blaming his human half for everything he said or did. Snuggling up against him, Kagome figured it was best to sleep until they were both awake and then she could see what would happen.

Inuyasha took a deep breath, acutely inhaling Kagome's scent. It was the first time in a long time that he had slept like that on his human night. He now realized how much he needed Kagome in his life. She calmed him, comforted him, and gave him a sense of belonging. The comparison he could make with his mother couldn't ring truer, except he had a deeper, more mature and sexual attraction to Kagome as well.

Strands of black drifted over his shoulders. Not quite yet sunrise. But his skin was tingling. Soon. Soon he'd be back to what he considered to be normal. And he'd have his senses back. He almost couldn't wait. The whimper of the girl he was latched onto brought him out of his thoughts. She felt so good in his arms.

"Morning," his still sleepy voice spoke.

"No," Kagome mumbled. Turning around in his embrace, she buried her head in his chest trying to hide from the morning's wake-up call.

Chuckling at her, he wrapped his arms around her tighter, burying his face into the crook of her neck. Every morning, this is what he wanted to wake up to, Kagome in his arms and her scent all around him. Actually, he'd be happy with just lying all day with her in bed.

"You awake?"

"If I have to be," Kagome muttered as she pulled away from him, looking up into his eyes. "Morning…" her voice trailed off as she witnessed Inuyasha's transformation back into his hanyou form. Starting at the roots, the original silver coloring came streaming down the black ink hair until it reached the ends. In a blink of his eyes, they went from purple to gold, like some alchemist's trick. She could feel the prickle of the claws on his hands. What she was most excited about was the shifting of his ears, from cartilage shells to velvety triangles.

"Oh, they're back," she lightly cooed as her hand shot up for them.

"Not so fast," Inuyasha said, grabbing her wrist gently. "Too early in the morning."

She pouted as she pulled her hand back. "Fine." A yawn escaped her lips as she rolled away from him, lying on her back and staring up at the ceiling. "Are you better now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you feel…I don't know how to describe it. Now that you are back in your hanyou form, are you okay now?"

"I guess," he mumbled, staring up at the ceiling as well. "There's still the patient thing."

"Yeah…Hey, you hungry?"

"Is it always food with you?"

Kagome laughed, clutching her sides as she rolled over to face him. "Most of the time. It _is_ my job. And of course, you need food to survive. Not to mention that breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

"Good luck finding something here to cook with."

"Huh?"

"Sango's place, remember? Sango's not a cook, no food."

"I never said I would cook. We could go out."

"Whatever."

"Great!" Kagome cheered as she sat up. She completely missed Inuyasha's groan. Breakfast, while a great idea, meant they would have to get out of bed. No snuggling and no more sleeping. Sliding off the bed, Kagome walked over to the door. "Hey, this is stuck."

"You have to turn the knob."

"I know that," she shot back before turning around to stick her tongue out at him. She tried the door again. "I'm serious though."

"Shit, let me do it." He hopped out of bed and marched his way over to the door. Kagome stepped aside, giving Inuyasha plenty of room to open the door. He took a hold of the knob and turned, only to be met with incredible resistance. Jiggling the knob, he found it was locked.

Instead of banging on the door, he walked over to the wall and banged on that loudly a few times. "Oi, wake up or I'll make a new door right here!"

Kagome watched his ears twitch, most likely picking up sounds from the other side of the wall. She was fascinated by his abilities and sometimes wondered what it would be like to have all of her senses turned up like his. Kagome turned to the door as she heard the familiar clicking sound of the lock.

The door opened to reveal two very tired-looking people. Sango stood behind Miroku as she tried to control the mess that was her hair.

"Morning," Miroku cheerfully greeted Inuyasha and Kagome as he ran a hand through his loose, shoulder-length hair.

Inuyasha wrinkled his nose at the couple as he stormed past them to the living room. "You said you two wouldn't fuck when I stayed over. And was the lock really necessary?"

Miroku nervously chuckled and Sango tried to hide behind him even more. Kagome stood there, frozen, mouth agape as she stared at the mortified couple. Miroku left Sango to go scold Inuyasha. Sango met Kagome's eyes and blushed.

"So…" Kagome sang out trying to get past this current moment of awkwardness.

"So…" Sango repeated. "Uh, you and Inuyasha, everything good now?"

"Sorta. He got through the whole 'I have to be human for a whole night' thing, but he's still worried about this death. He didn't have to say it. I know how much his clinic means to him and his fear of losing it." Kagome yawned as her stomach howled. "Are you and Miroku involved in this case at all?"

"I'm not; Miroku is. She was his patient originally. Miroku recommended that she and her husband visit with Inuyasha when conception complications arose. Miroku could be at fault as well since whatever it was that she was allergic to may have been something Miroku prescribed to her, or something. We don't know yet."

"Eh? But he's taking it so well."

"That's because he's confident that no one at the clinic did anything wrong."

"I wish I could make Inuyasha feel that way." Kagome's stomach roared louder this time, reminding her of its emptiness. "Right. Breakfast."

"I have no food here."

"I was thinking of going out. I know this great little café nearby that serves the best pancakes."

"Oh, that sounds really good. But, maybe I should freshen up before we go," Sango suggested.

"Okay," Kagome replied as she headed out to the living room only to find Inuyasha and Miroku locked in some conversation. Sango must've heard it too, for she was standing next to Kagome trying to listen in.

"But I'm just as famished as you are," they heard Miroku whine out.

"No," Inuyasha barked out at the sleepy human.

"Why?"

"Because you reek," Inuyasha grumbled as Kagome sat down on the couch across from Miroku.

"Do I always smell that bad?"

"Yep."

Miroku shot an apologetic glance at Sango. "Apparently, I've covered you in my foul stench."

Sango shrugged her shoulders. "Then let's share the shower, you know, to conserve water."

Kagome let out what sounded like a squeak as her cheeks flared up. Her wide eyes darted down to the ground as she inspected the grain of the wood flooring.

Miroku nodded and chuckled at the look of disgust on Inuyasha's face. "I'd much rather bathe in your scent," he said as he stumbled past Kagome and followed Sango into the bathroom.

The door to the bathroom slammed closed, followed by the sound of running water. Kagome remained standing where she was at, a little stunned by the morning's recent events.

"Let's go."

"Where?"

"Breakfast."

"But…" Kagome turned pointing to the source of the running water, "what about them?"

"They're not going to make it."

"Wh-…oh…you mean….oh…"

Inuyasha shook his head at her. A little innocence never hurt anyone. He walked over to her and took a gentle grip of her arm, tugging her along. Once Kagome snapped out of her little trance, she remembered to grab her purse as they left the other couple to their shower.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome sighed heavily as she went over proposals for the upcoming _hanami_ festival that would have the whole country in a fervor within a matter of weeks. There were so many ideas for the restaurant that, for the first time, she really didn't know what to do.

She was confident about a few things, starting with the patio. It would be open and ready by the second week of April when the _sakura_ trees on the patio would be ready. Due to the cold weather snap they had in March, the _sakura_ were blooming later this year. She also wanted the restaurant to somehow sponsor the traditional activities that families and groups partake in during the _hanami_ festival.

Students from the senior-level classes at the school contributed menus for Kagome's consideration. Some were traditional and others were not, but all of them had really good ideas, and it was nearly impossible to settle on just a few. She tossed the files down onto the large stack that was taking over her table. There had to be an easier way to do this.

"Shit. And I thought I was busy."

"Hey," Kagome said. "Oh, let me get this out of your way." Kagome pulled the files into a tight messy pile so Inuyasha had room for the stack of work stuff he normally brought with him. Inuyasha took his seat across from her, setting his leather bag on the floor. "Okay day?"

Inuyasha remained eerily silent as he shrugged his shoulders. He pulled out some files and immediately starting working on them.

"Not okay day?" Kagome asked to Inuyasha's silent response. She learned forward, reaching out with her hand, placing it on his arm to still his writing. "Did Sesshoumaru say anything to you?"

"No. Bastard hasn't said one fucking word. I haven't seen the asshole since last week."

"Is he working that hard on this case?"

"Fuck if I know."

"He still comes here for lunch, but he eats so silently that I sometimes forget he's here. Oh, hey, let me ask him."

"No."

"Why not? I know he's quiet and all, but-"

"I said no. He's a punk who's not talking to me because he's trying to fuck with me."

"Still, someone needs to tell him that what he's doing to you is wrong; he is your brother after all. Even if you two don't always get along. He's the only one you've got." Kagome sighed as the brother talk started to get heavy. "This clinic, this job, it's your life and it's so important to you. And he also has an investment in it as well."

"Like he fuckin' cares about what happens to the clinic. The clinic, me…it's all a reminder to him that our dad left his mother for mine." Inuyasha gritted his teeth as they talked about his relationship with Sesshoumaru and what the clinic meant to his brother versus what it meant to him. But he didn't want to get angry at Kagome.

"Oh, uh, I…I didn't know. Is she still alive?"

"I guess. She hates me even more than he does. At least Sesshoumaru recognizes my existence, even if he does it in a shitty way."

"But he wouldn't work so hard for you and the clinic if a part of him didn't care."

"It's all for himself."

"Someone must be working on it, as I've read little about it in the papers."

"Like the hospital wants this splashed in the front pages."

Kagome realized that the conversation wasn't going anywhere. If Inuyasha hadn't been told anything about the case from his brother, then there wasn't anything for him to talk about. But she hated the awkward silence that she knew was going to fall fast if she didn't think of something else to talk about. Brothers and his work were not topics to consider. "Did I tell you…I'm not working Saturdays anymore."

"How come?"

"The higher ups at the school are worried that I'm overloading myself. I've basically been working six days a week, fourteen to eighteen hours a day. They only want me to work the mornings and into the early evening. Also, they're shifting my duties around as well. I'm still in the restaurant, but they want me to recruit students, adopt menu changes, and to appoint section supervisors whose duty it will be to oversee basic day-to-day operations of their stations."

"Are you going to be able to let it go?"

"I don't know." Kagome glanced down at her lap, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her shirt. It felt like the school was asking her to give up too much. "It's probably a good thing. This way I con focus on other things. Speaking of which, _hanami_…As part of the application process, students are preparing things for customers to try at a stand that we're hosting at UenoPark. You...you should come." There, she asked him. It was so nerve-wracking to ask him to do things and she just didn't understand why. Her eyes darted up to meet his before moving away to stare at something neutral. It was easy to hear his answer if she wasn't looking at him, in case he said no.

"What?"

"In two weeks, that weekend, Ueno Park will be having an all-day festival to celebrate _hanami_. I'm saying you should come. It's outdoors…lots of food….drinks…casual setting…" If she didn't sound nervous before, she was sure she did this time as her voice trailed off as she rattled off all of the reasons she could think of.

_Casual setting? What a stupid thing to say. Smooth Kagome._

"Are you going to be working or not?" He crossed his arms along his chest and leaned back in his chair as he watched her. He had the same problem. With so much invested in his job, it was hard to not work when you felt like you should. Kagome was the same way. He knew she wouldn't be able to let it go so easily.

"I don't know. I'm supposed to check on them, but it's really their project. Perhaps it's for them to impress me and the graduation committee in selecting those that will be hired at the restaurant."

"I'll go as long as you don't work." He pointed a clawed finger at her to make sure she got the point.

"Really?" she said, beaming. She had half expected him to say no, or that he would have to check his schedule first. "I was thinking of preparing a _bento_ box just in case. I haven't really eaten any of their food and I don't think I'll get any samples beforehand."

"Whatever." Like he was going to let her see how excited he really was. _Hanami_ was a family affair and he didn't think she would ask him to attend something like that with her so soon.

Shippo arrived with Tuesday's dinner special. Inuyasha moved his work to the side to allow more room for the meal. He didn't pay much attention to the food. Normally he didn't. He learned to eat what was put in front of him. And he ate when he was hungry. It wasn't so much about what he was actually eating, it was about the company he kept while eating: the old man, Sango, Miroku, Kagome…people he trusted, friends.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Inuyasha growled loudly. He hated crowds. Crowds were just a bunch of smelly, annoying beings that only served to get in _his_ way. He forgot about the amount of people he'd have to deal with when he agreed to meet Kagome here. The crowds also meant he'd have a much harder time picking up her scent.

She did, however, give him a probable location as to where he could find her. Kagome had been told that she had to be at the restaurant and schools' booth early in the morning to explain what the students had to accomplish for the day and to make sure all of the ingredients and equipment that were requested had arrived. There was really nothing he could do about any of it and he didn't want to sit around, watching her work, waiting.

Following her directions, he entered the vendor's area. Food, drinks, and gifts to commemorate this year's _hanami_. It was still early enough in the day so that the walkway between the booths weren't too crowded, allowing him to search for the right booth. And he was glad he didn't have to search for long.

He caught her scent, followed by her cute laugh. A few steps more and he finally saw her. It looked like she was giving advice to the students, telling them to remain calm, happy, have fun, and that every customer needed to leave feeling the same.

It was a beautiful spring day out. The sky was blue, cloudless, and the gentlest of breezes rustled through the trees, shaking the delicate pink and white blossoms. Inuyasha was dressed casually in jeans, a red T-shirt, and tennis shoes. Kagome, of course, looked radiant.

Her voluminous hair hung down, dancing freely with the breeze. She wore a simple yellow dress that hugged her upper body and twirled out from her waist down to just above her knees. Her long, slender legs were bare and she wore flat sandals that wrapped around her ankles. She was so natural and beautiful looking. Inuyasha felt his breath hitch in his throat until she caught him leering. Waving at him, she said her goodbyes to the students and hurried over to him.

They way she moved was hypnotic. Her body moved in sensual synchronization, her hips, long legs, and her chest…her shiny locks flying behind her, and then there was that warm, welcoming smile.

"You made it," she said happily, stopping just a few feet in front of him, tucking stray strands of hair behind her ear.

"I said I would," he replied back in his normal tone.

"You're a little early."

"And…"

"I'm not…well," Kagome reached out and took his hand, "come with me for a moment." She pulled him over to the _KenSen_ cooking booth, which was nestled in between some of the students' booths. About a minute later, she emerged with a basket in her hands and a large blanket draped over her other arm.

He arched an eyebrow at the basket. "I thought we were going to eat the crap they sell here."

"We are," Kagome said as she walked over to Inuyasha. "Let's find a good spot before they are all taken.

The couple remained silent as they strolled through the park, scouting out for the best location to lay out the blanket. Already, families and groups had staked out their spots, and the sake poured before lunch even started.

"I don't care where we sit," Kagome spoke as she glanced around the area. The longer they searched, the fewer number of choices they would have.

"Come on then," he said, taking a hold of her arm and pulling her away from the crowds. Inuyasha had seen a good, somewhat secluded spot that was partially enclosed by some shrubbery. When reaching their destination, Inuyasha took the blanket from her and snapped it open before laying it down on the grass.

"Oh wow, this is…amazing," she softly said as she set the basket down onto the corner of the blanket. She spun around as she took in their semi-private view. Fragments of sunlight shone though the thick blossom-covered trees.

Inuyasha plopped down onto the blanket, flipping his shoes off to the side. Kagome slipped out of her sandals and sat down next to him on the blanket, her legs tucked neatly and conservatively to the side.

"So, do you have any _hanami_ traditions?" Kagome asked as she watched some of the silky petals float down to the ground, only to be cradled by the tips of the grass blades.

"Why? Do you?" he asked, eyes closed as he took deep breaths of the lightly perfumed air.

"Yeah, from when I was younger." Kagome glanced up at the trees. "Souta and I believed that the fallen petals held a magical power in them. We'd race to see who could collect the most petals. The catch was that we had to gather them all before they fell onto the ground. If they touched the ground, the magic would disappear. So, Souta and I would run around trying to catch the petals as the wind shook them out of the trees. Then, Mama would take us over to the bride. We'd close our eyes, make our wish, and then throw them into the air, letting the wind carry them down to the water.

"Mama would make all kinds of goodies for us to eat. We had some traditional dishes, and then she would try to add something different each year in order to mark that year as special."

Kagome sighed as she recalled some of her most precious memories. Unfortunately, age brought the wisdom and knowledge that such wishes with the _sakura_ blossoms could not come true anymore. Catching cherry blossoms today would only give her a handful of tainted petals that would quickly wilt.

"Do you have any?"

Inuyasha sighed as he somewhat felt like he had to share something because she did, but another part of him was okay with letting her know more about him. "My mother would take me out to the country, a place of meadows, _sakura_ trees, and wide open skies. I could run around freely for hours. My mother would sit underneath one of the trees, reading or doing some needlework. She'd call me in for food, let me eat, and then let me run around again until the stars shone brightly. Then we'd pack up and leave."

"That sounds really nice."

"Yeah, well, that place is gone now. Development."

"Sorry."

"Keh. Nothing can be done about it now."

"Of course there is. We can get our food." Kagome stood up and slipped back into her sandals. She picked up the picnic basket she had brought with her. "It's empty so we can fill it up."

Inuyasha popped an eye open and took a gander at her. She truly was an amazing person. So much more than he thought he could ever find, more than he ever deserved. He sat up and slipped his shoes back on. She had a good idea. Get the food before the crowds rushed in.

Taking her hand in his, they silently made their way back over to the booths. Already, the amount of visitors had increased dramatically. Inuyasha pulled Kagome close to him as they wove their way through the crowd. Kagome took a hold of his arm, pressing herself against him as he led her to the first booth.

There was so much food to choose from. There were traditional dishes such as _yakitori_, _natto_, _sushi_ of all styles, noodle dishes ranging from _udon_ to _soba_, _sashimi,_ and the list went on and on. There were several restaurants sponsoring booths that were offering meals from their menus as a form of advertisement. Kagome didn't know where to begin or what she would have to settle on as there was too much for her to choose from.

"Where do you want to start?" Kagome asked as her eyes darted around, searching for what looked the most appealing.

"The beginning," he teased.

"Right. You'll be able to eat something from everything here. Okay, well…oh…that…" Kagome said, pointing to a booth before running over to it.

Inuyasha tried to make his way over, but as his luck would have it, his path was blocked by the crowd. He growled at them, low enough to keep them from staring at him. Trying to be as calm as possible, he slowly made his way over to where Kagome was at.

And when he finally arrived, she was already at the next booth, ordering something else. He started to make his way over to her when something caused his ear to twitch. He spun the appendage around towards the noise and listened carefully.

"…did you check out _her_ goods?"

"Looks like her cherry blossoms are in full bloom."

Inuyasha caught who it was that was saying these things and caught who it was they were looking at, specifically _his_ Kagome. He was just about to teach them a hard lesson when Kagome suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Sorry. I didn't know they were selling _kuri fukume ni_, or some variety of it. I haven't tried this one yet." Kagome took a hold of his hand and yanked him down towards the other delicious sights and smells. He clung onto her a little tighter.

Inuyasha's ears stayed on alert for anyone else who dared to whisper so openly about Kagome. He didn't need to hear that kind of bullshit. While he would never admit it, at this moment, he was very fragile and ready to break at the drop of a hat. If anyone provoked him enough, even he was afraid of what could happen.

This time, Inuyasha made sure to pay for the food. He was so caught up in the whispers about Kagome that he forgot about what manners he did have.

"Oh, wait here. There's something I want to get as a surprise for you," Kagome happily said before quickly darting off into some direction.

Inuyasha watched her closely, guarding her from afar. Yeah, so she wanted to surprise him, but he couldn't let her. She needed to be watched. He stayed behind, to make her think she was off some place he didn't know about so she could surprise him. Did she really believe anything she could cook or give him could be a surprise?

Kagome glanced at the boxes of colorful candies, many pink and in the shape of popular flowers to celebrate _hanami_. Now, she just had to decide on only a few of them. She was sure Inuyasha would enjoy these. They were a part of her family tradition that she wanted to share with him.

"Hey Kagome."

Kagome looked up to see some familiar faces. "Ah, Sango. Miroku. I didn't know you guys were coming."

"We weren't. I was actually going to make a bento box, but Miroku said that your restaurant was doing a booth at the park, so we decided to try that instead," Sango explained.

"Oh," Kagome quickly blurted out.

"Are you here with Inuyasha?" Miroku asked as he searched for the silver-haired hanyou.

"Yeah. I left him over on the other side while I picked out some of these."

Miroku bid a temporary adieu to the ladies as he made his way across the crowd to find his friend.

"So, he didn't want to eat your cooking?" Kagome asked as she picked up the octagonal box full of candies. It was the box that they were selling this year to commemorate the Emperor's grandson's first _hanami_. She didn't want that as she wasn't here to celebrate that. There were other things to celebrate.

"Basically," Sango snorted as she picked up one of the smaller boxes of candies. "At least he was nice about it."

"That's good," Kagome replied as she continued to scour the dozens of varieties available.

"You and Inuyasha having a good time so far?"

"I think so. I know I am. I think he'd be better if there weren't so many people around. We're just getting our food now before heading back to our spot. Beat the rush."

"Excuse me, ladies."

Kagome and Sango turned to see a strange man smiling at them. The girls looked at each other, startled and confused by this man. They didn't know him. Did he know them?

"I was wondering if you could help me."

"Uh, sure," Kagome said, putting her candy-choosing task aside for the moment.

"Ah, that's great. I'm here with my mother and want to pick out something very special for her to have. This…this will probably be her last _hanami_ and…yeah…"

"Oh, that's so sad. Well," Kagome started, her chef skills kicking on, "can you tell us about her tastes, likes, dislikes…?"

"These are her favorite candies. I just…I just don't know enough about them to pick something out."

"Uh, it's not that difficult actually. Right now, the flower-shaped, pastel-colored ones are the best as they depict the season."

"These flowered ones here?"

"Yeah, those are the flowers that are in bloom now. Those would be fine."

"Not as fine of a flower as you are."

"Uh…"

Sango's mouthed dropped open at the man's direct comment towards Kagome. Kagome's face burned with embarrassment. She didn't know what to say. It was completely unexpected. Did this guy really want to buy candies for his mother?

"Sorry," the man quickly apologized, chuckling. "You just remind me of my mother when she was younger. She loved flowers."

"Oh, uh…thanks then." Kagome picked up a box with about a dozen candies packed in tightly. "Try this one then."

"This looks nice," the man said as he looked over the contents of the box. Green, pink, yellow, white, and purple flowers in different shapes were placed in the square box, five of each, a row of each color.

"These ones will have a sweet almond taste to them."

"Are you a cook or something?"

"I am."

"I'd be interested in trying anything you had to offer."

"Hands off the girlfriend."

Kagome was a little surprised to find Inuyasha right behind her, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist as he snarled at the strange man hitting on her. She looked over at Sango only to see Miroku standing next to her in practically the same manner as Inuyasha.

"I was just…"

"I know exactly what you were doing, asshole."

"Inuyasha…"

"Get your candies and let's go."

"I was only trying to help him."

"He doesn't want your help. He has no mother from what I can smell on him, other than deceit and cheap perfume."

Having been caught, the man hurried on out of there, disappearing into the crowd. Inuyasha paid for the big box of light-colored candies and pulled her quickly away. They had enough food for now and could come back later if needed. Kagome looked over at Sango and Miroku. Sango had a worried look on her face while Miroku was smiling and waving goodbye to the couple.

Kagome remained quiet as she followed Inuyasha back to their secluded spot under the giant _sakura_ tree. It was here that he finally let go of her arm, but he didn't attempt to move away from her. Kagome looked up at him, she reached up with her free hand and cupped his cheek.

"I'm sorry," she softly apologized.

"Keh, it's not your damn fault you're too nice and trusting." Her hand was soft, her touch warm. Inuyasha couldn't help but to lean into it, his eyelids falling shut. "Let's eat."

Kagome nodded, a large smile gracing her soft face. Kicking off her sandals, she sat down on the blanket, setting the filled basket down next to her. Inuyasha took off his shoes as well, and sat down closely next to her, their knees touching.

Upon opening the basket, Kagome pulled out the goodies she had picked out for them to feast upon. She pulled out two boxes of white rice, and a set of disposable bamboo chopsticks. Next, she pulled out a few skewers of _yakitori_. Kagome couldn't resist the easy to eat finger food.

"Here," she said, handing him a skewer with several bite-sized pieces of something on it.

Inuyasha took it and sniffed it. "It's some part of a chicken."

Kagome studied the glazed covered meat. "I'm not sure either. I just pointed at it. Here…" Kagome bit off the top piece and slowly chewed it, dissecting its salty, thick taste. "Oh, this is _sunagime_."

"_Suna_-what?"

"_Sunagime_. Or it's also called _zuri_."

"Gizzards."

"Yeah. They sure are good. What? You've never had them?"

"I don't know."

"Go ahead. They won't kill you."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said, giggling. Males could be the biggest babies.

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders as he dipped the meat into some _taru_ sauce Kagome had just served to him and then plucked off two gizzards with his fangs. He chewed on the tough pieces and then swallowed before shoving the rest of them in his mouth.

"I'm guessing you approve of them?"

"It was okay," he replied as he tossed the emptied skewer stick back into the basket while reaching for another _yakitori _skewer. He took the beverage Kagome offered him.

Kagome ate her _yakitori_ slower than Inuyasha ate his. After all those lunches they had shared, she knew his eating habits pretty well. He ate anything and more of it. The hanyou had never turned away any food she presented to him.

After a few bites of rice, it was time for some _tempura_. The two of them had chosen what they had wanted and the chef quickly prepared it for them. Kagome settled on some shrimp, scallion, ginger, and carrot pieces. Inuyasha chose shrimp, ten pieces in all.

"What's that one again?" Inuyasha asked, watching Kagome eat a smaller piece.

"Carrot. Here." Inuyasha stared at her as she held up the fried and battered vegetable in her chopsticks. He hesitated to take a bite from _her_ chopsticks. "Is there something wrong? Do you not like carrots?"

"I eat carrots…"

"Then, what's stopping you?"

Inuyasha's eyes turned away from her as a faint pink color spotted his cheeks. Did she not realize how intimate of an act this really was? There was physical intimacy, something he really had no problems with. And then this, an emotional, almost spiritual intimacy.

"Did you mean it?" Kagome asked, her serious tone snapping Inuyasha's attention back to her.

"Mean what?"

"The…with that guy…the girlfriend thing?" she asked, the words tumbling over each other as she had a difficult time actually voicing it.

"Yeah, I did."

"Then I'll ask you again, what's stopping you?"

Nothing, really. Just a little bit of fear, some doubt, but it wasn't that much. She pushed the carrot _tempura_ closer to him and he quickly snatched it out of the chopsticks with his fangs. He was warmed by the bright smile on her face by his act.

"Good?"

Inuyasha nodded. The two of them finished eating the other foods Kagome had mostly picked out for their lunch under the pink and white canopy. They took turns feeding each other, Kagome giggling and Inuyasha trying hard to suppress his laughs. However, he didn't try to cover up the ones that did escape.

Once the food was finished, Inuyasha rested against the thick trunk of one of the trees and closed his eyes, taking in deep breaths of fresh air and scented _sakura _petals, and, of course, Kagome. He cracked an eye open just in time to see Kagome crawl over to him. His throat rumbled with approval when she sat down next to him, leaning her body up against his. He wrapped a possessive arm around her shoulders and she gently placed her hand on his chest, just over his heart. Kagome slowed her breathing down, finding her heart beat matching his.

Kagome opened her eyes, lifting her head up to feel the rush of a cool breeze caress her warm cheeks. A tiny yawn escaped her mouth as she glanced around. She was still at the park, and from the laughter, the crowd was much larger than it was earlier. How long was she asleep for, she didn't know. Looking down at the lump of warm flesh beneath her, she smiled at the calm, peaceful look on his face.

Her lips curved into a sinister smile as an idea that she had earlier popped into her head. It was something she just had to do and now was the perfect moment. Slipping out of his grasp, she crawled away from him slowly, her eyes narrowed at him as she watched for any signs of movement or awareness on his part. Once she was off the blanket, she stood up and quickly ran. She'd have to hurry before he woke up and realized she was gone.

Soon, it was Inuyasha's turn to wake up, stretching his stiff muscles as his senses were flooded with the sights, sounds, and smells of everything and everyone around him, everyone but Kagome. Right away, he noticed that she was missing. Her sandals were still on the grass next to the blanket. Scrambling to stand up, he sniffed around trying to catch the direction of her scent. He found it. Looking up, he saw that she had headed back toward the booths.

_Didn't she get enough to eat?_

And so he went on his pursuit. The amount of people, especially drunk people eating, hindered his search as their scents covered Kagome's track. He growled at everything. Not being able to find Kagome disturbed him greatly. His breathing quickened, leaving him panting as he ran around the picnics to find his girlfriend.

He suddenly stopped, balancing on one bare foot as his ears twitched about, then turned toward his left. A sound, a giggle…Kagome. There was no doubt about it. It was her. He made his way over to that comforting sound, ready to haul her ass back to their blanket before telling her never to sneak off again like that, scaring him.

But watching a strange man hug her, tightly, and having her hug him back threw his original plan right out the window. Knuckles cracking, claws and fangs elongating, he saw Kagome, his eyes blood red, with a male that was about to get his head handed to him on one of Kagome's lacquered trays.

Kagome didn't even know what happened when she felt herself being pulled back and then suddenly encased in hard arms. She barely was able to let out an 'eep' when her face was smashed up against something else hard. Drawing in a breath, this scent belonged to Inuyasha. What was he doing?

Inuyasha said nothing, but only growled. Kagome tried pushing herself away, but Inuyasha wouldn't let up. "Inuyasha," she softly said. She could tell that he was upset. Maybe she should've told him where she was going. Too late for that now.

The strange man just stared at the shocked woman and the angry animal that had his dirty paws wrapped around her. He chuckled as he lifted up his claws, crackling his knuckles as well, egging the hanyou on.

Inuyasha's rational side knew he shouldn't be acting like this in public, but his instincts went on auto-pilot, immediately taking over. Plus, he felt that he was scaring Kagome. He didn't want her to be afraid of him. But, he had no choice in the matter, he was quickly losing control.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said his name again, hoping to reach him, get his attention, and explain some things to him.

His only response was another deep growl. He bared his fangs again, challenging the strange man for the woman in his arms. Inuyasha inhaled again, his nostrils flaring with rage. Then he realized it, he knew this smell. It was a scent that had bugged him before, a scent that agitated his most feral emotions. The strange man smirked as he flashed his pearly white fangs back at the hanyou.

"Inuyasha," Kagome tried again. "Inuyasha this is a friend of mine, Kouga…"

"Wolf-shit," Inuyasha snarled, the only thing he could vocalize.

"Mutt-face," Kouga chimed, enjoying the instant rivalry between them. It had been a long time since his instincts felt this alive.

Kagome could feel it all, the tension, the conflict, the silent acknowledgment of some alpha-male challenge being called forth. Kouga was known as the super-duper alpha male and she was learning that Inuyasha wasn't much different. She didn't need the two of them fighting. There was only one force in this world that could stop Kouga.

"Ayame!" Kagome desperately cried out as the two males stared down one another.

Ayame came running over at the sound of Kagome's frightened voice. She gasped at the sight that was presented to her. Kagome was clutched protectively against the snarling hanyou's chest…no…demon. What? He was supposed to be hanyou. Then she saw her mate with a sly grin on his face, enjoying the prelude to some showdown between the two males. Ayame embarrassingly chuckled at the onlookers, trying to downplay the situation so that they didn't frighten anyone, especially the humans. She didn't need them calling the police.

"Kouga," she snarled loudly at him, placing her hands on her hips as her emerald eyes narrowed to tiny slits at him.

Kouga spun around to see his very pissed-off mate glaring at him. He gulped at her darkening and overpowering aura. Oh boy was he in deep, _deep_ trouble.

"Boys," Ayame called out just over her shoulder. Five males, three younger-aged children and two grown males, came running over, stopping to stand behind their sister, mother, and alpha female. "Tie him up."

"Ayame…wait…" Kouga begged as the five males quickly descended upon him in a whirlwind before he could escape, dragging him over to one of the _sakura_ trees with a thicker trunk. "No, honey, you don't have to do this to daddy, too," he said to his little girl when his daughter Moriko came running over with ribbons in her hands to help the boys tie daddy up.

"Kagome, I'll deal with Kouga, just get him calmed down before his aura starts pissing off every other demon in the area," Ayame instructed the girl.

Kagome nodded, understanding what it was that she had to do. She turned her head so she could look up at Inuyasha, gasping at the faint purple zig-zags along his cheeks. She couldn't worry about that now.

"Hurry Kagome-_neesan_," Ginta, Kouga's brother told the stunned girl.

"Inuyasha," she started out, her voice soft. She missed his ear twitching at the sound of her voice. "Get me out of here, please."

The sound of her voice, its context, it struck a chord in him. He quickly picked her up, cradling her in his arms and then whooshed away toward their blanket. He did realize that the strange wolf demon was being detained by his pack as some kind of peace offering, allowing him to take Kagome safely away and sparing them from a deathly fight.

Ayame sighed. She was thankful that the problem was averted. It wasn't over with, though. Marching her way over to the boys, she almost wanted to laugh at the scene. Hakkaku and Ginta held onto Kouga's arms, wrapping them around the tree trunk while two of her sons, the two eldest, Hideki and Hiromasa, had curled themselves around their father's legs. Her youngest boy, Taketarou, was clinging onto Kouga's neck, wrapped around him like a koala in a eucalyptus tree. Moriko was running around the boys and the tree, waving her ribbons and singing 'captured daddy' over and over.

She stood in front of her pack, Moriko silencing at the presence of her mother. "Take Moriko to Kagome's booth and get her a popsicle."

All five boys nodded at their order. Moriko went back to waving her ribbons around, singing 'popsicle' over and over. Kouga whined when the boys left him alone with his very angry wife.

"Ayame, look-" he started right away to calmly and logically explain himself.

"Stop. I don't want to hear it. I'm only going to say this once, so pay attention. That is Kagome's new man. She is happy for the first time in a very long time. I know you know that. You will respect her decision to date whomever it is she chooses."

"But, he's a fuckin' mutt."

"So? What's that got to do with anything? Kagome chose him. Got it? He was _her_ decision. And you will support her decision for as long as she keeps it. Clear?"

"And if he hurts her?"

"Well, once I and the other girls are through with him, you and the boys can play with the scraps. We clear now?"

"Crystal, babe."

"Good." Ayame walked up to her mate, narrowing her eyes at him once again. "Ribbons and trees do give me an idea."

Kouga's toothy grin at her innuendo caused her to laugh, her eyes softening as they enjoyed the rest of the festival together.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

He sat down on their blanket, gripping onto her as if he let her go, she'd disappear. Kagome remained silent, breathing slowly, as she felt his heart rate slow, a sign he was calming down. She planned on remaining still until he said or did something. Kagome wasn't sure what was going on, but she figured she had a pretty good idea of what set him off like this. After what had happened this morning at the candy stand, him seeing her hug a man he didn't know angered him.

_Should I apologize? Maybe if I apologize, he'll say something._

But as she opened her mouth to say something, there was nothing there to say, so she stopped. Instead, she closed her eyes and hugged him tighter, her only way to say something to him. Maybe he would understand. She hoped he could.

Inuyasha tucked Kagome under his chin, inhaling her calming scent as his hand rubbed up and down the length of her back. He fucked up. He knew he did. His demon side got out over something stupid. Even his own mother had warned him to keep his temper and most of his feelings in check. She never mentioned his demon side, probably didn't even know about it.

Once he felt stable and had more control of his thoughts and emotions did he finally loosen his hold on Kagome. She was surprised by this.

"Inuyasha," she breathed his name out, afraid that it might disrupt the moment.

"I-"

"I'm sorry," Kagome snuggled her check up against his chest as she still hugged him. "I should've woken you up and told you where I was going. And as for Kouga-" she stopped when she felt the violent rumble of his growl. "I take it you don't like him."

"You fuckin' got that right."

"He's a good guy. He's helped me out when I've needed it."

"Like helping you move?"

"Yes, among other things. He helped me get a good deal on that restaurant. He runs Northern Lands Real Estate."

Inuyasha visibly relaxed, his body slouching from the loosening of his muscles. From what he was hearing, that wolf-shit was really nothing more than a friend. And that wolf-crap's mate, she was frightening as well.

"I'm a godmother to his children, but, there was a time when he tried to date me, but even back then, ew…no…I knew Ayame liked him and I felt like they were a good match."

"I still don't like him."

"I guess that'll be okay. You two will just have to play nice next time though."

"Keh."

"Eh? Don't 'keh' me, mister. I'm serious. They're a part of my family."

"Fine, but if he starts any shit…"

"I know, I know."

They both paused at the sounds of people talking getting louder. Their secluded spot had been found by a large group of drunk, boisterous people. Inuyasha sighed as the group set down their blankets and _bento_ boxes for their meals.

"Let's get out of here," he suggested.

"Okay," Kagome said, easily agreeing with him. "But, where are we going to find a secluded place and still enjoy _hanami_?"

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Oh."

"Does this work?"

"Yeah. You really like it here, don't you?" Kagome laid the blanket down on the small patch of grass available.

"It's private, quiet, fresh…"

"My mother could be around."

"She's not."

"Huh, really? I wonder where she went." Kagome plopped down onto the blanket. "Have a seat," she offered, patting her hand down on the spot next to her. Inuyasha sat down, kicking his shoes off. He hated those damn things anyway. "It really is quiet here."

"It'd be quieter if ya quit your yappin'."

"Hey," she cried out, playfully slapping him across the arm.

Inuyasha grabbed her wrist, pulling her down on top of him. His claws snaked up her sides, causing fits of her beautiful laughter to fill his ears.

"…Please…no….no more…I…I can't…" she laughed out, trying to fight her way out. It was no use, and she knew that, but it was fun. It had felt like it had been so long since she'd laughed so freely.

Inuyasha was enjoying her smile, the way her cheeks pinked, and the way her body was rubbing up against his. He suddenly stopped tickling her, watching as she panted heavily, staring into his eyes. He wrapped one hand around her waist and his other cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing across her moist lips.

Kagome fisted her hands into his clothing, pulling herself closer to him. She settled herself just off to the side of his body, her legs falling around one of his. She quickly unfisted her hands, splaying them along the muscles of his chest, feeling the ripples of hard and soft underneath her fingertips.

And the kissing began.

Kagome was hesitant to be the initiator; however, now that they were alone, she found the courage to take this first bold step. He felt her hesitation, but did nothing, afraid that she'd never kiss him first ever again if he tried anything.

Her first kiss was soft, gentle, and seeking. He watched her for a moment before closing his eyes. But he couldn't continue this for long. Snaking a hand up her back, he deepened the kiss, licking her lips as he demanded a taste. Their tongues worked in harmony, tasting, licking, learning, memorizing…

It just wasn't enough. They both wanted more, seeking some way to deepen the kiss, intensify the physical connection, angling their heads this way and that way until they were forced to part, taking in several gasps of vital air.

Kagome placed tiny kisses along his brow, raining tiny pecks along his jaw, and adding a playful nibble on his chin, eliciting a rumble from this throat. She slid her hands up his chest, along his shoulders and into the silver mass of his hair. She continued her trail up along his face, trekking towards her destination.

Inuyasha used his hands to trace the contours of the curvy creature in his embrace. Her back, long and smooth, dipped down into a nice swell before gently rising up. He gripped her buttocks tightly, pulling her as close to him as he could, mindful of his claws. The contact was instant, rough, and too much, causing him to growl.

Said growl quickly morphed into a whimper before reaching a growl of satisfaction as Kagome's mouth latched onto one of his ears. Her tongue swirled around the sensitive appendage before she took it between her teeth and gently sucked on it. Inuyasha was sure his toes curled.

Inuyasha licked and kissed exposed flesh, savoring that treat that was Kagome. Kagome shivered from his hot breath blowing down the neck of her dress. Other parts of her responded as well, bringing her to a new sensory level, more pleasure for her to experience. The thin cotton material of her dress rubbed against her hardened nipples, causing a tiny whimper to leave her swollen lips.

Kagome opened her eyes to find herself underneath her hanyou. She looked up into his eyes, finding his dark golden orbs hazed over with lust. He took her lips with his, bruising them in the most delightful way. Inuyasha found himself getting dizzy from her feminine aroma.

Reaching down to his slender waist, Kagome grabbed the hem of his T-shirt and pulled it up just enough so she could sneak her hands up underneath it in order to feel muscles rippling under warm skin. Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her once again, kissing and licking her neck and collarbone. Kagome gasped, arching her back and tilting her head, giving him more access to her sensitive flesh.

Kagome missed the soft ripping sound of her dress as Inuyasha pulled it down one of her shoulders. Her body felt like it was being controlled by him, these feelings, the moans, whimpers, it was him, Inuyasha, that made her feel like this, so alive…real…

Inuyasha made himself as comfortable as he could lying on top of her fragile frame, settling his hips on hers. Kagome opened herself up to him, legs widening and her knees bending up alongside the outside of his legs. Inuyasha continued his oral assault on her salty skin.

When Inuyasha's tongue hit a particularly sensitive spot, Kagome's immediate reaction caused her hips to jerk against his. He did his best to stifle a moan as one of his hands gripped onto her waist for control. If he wasn't careful, he'd lose it again, though for different reasons.

Kagome's eyes shot open as she became aware of his response to her. She sensed out her environment and her state of semi-dress, skirt up, neckline down to reveal the upper mounds of her breasts to him. And then there was the state of his dress, jeans pushed down dangerously low, as far as they could without unzipping or dealing with buttons, revealing a soft trail of silver hair, and his shirt had been pushed up, gathered just below his armpits.

"I-Inuyasha," she breathed out.

He really like the way his name sounded when she said it like that. Again, he wanted to hear it again.

"Inuyasha," Kagome spoke again.

Somehow, hearing her say his name again didn't quite have the affect he was hoping for. It was the way she said it. She didn't groan it out, but plainly said it, her voice raised. He stopped what his mouth was doing to her.

Kagome shifted underneath him, slipping away as she tried to pull her dress down. "I…I'm sorry, I'm…I'm not _that_ ready yet, I guess."

Inuyasha nodded as he carefully rolled off of her. Lying on his back, he pulled his shirt down and pulled his pants up. Taking in several deep breaths, he tried to calm himself back down.

Kagome sat up and looked down at the blanket and not really at him. "I didn't mean for it to get this far. Eh, oh no, not like that. I mean, I enjoyed myself, but I…oh, what's the word for it, uh…I feel like I might've lead you on. A part of me thinks I'm ready and another part of me feels like things are moving really fast and it's that part of me that's stopping us. You did give me control in this."

"What?"

"Eh, you forgot about all of that?"

"No, I'm just wondering why you're still talking. I get the part where you said you weren't ready."

"I'm just trying to communicate with you."

"Whatever."

"No, not 'whatever.' I wanted to explain myself to you so you didn't think that I didn't want to have sex with you ever. I can tell you're already ready."

Inuyasha blushed.

_So she did feel it._

Not that he was trying to hide it. He wanted her to know what she did to him. Feeling calmed down enough, he stood up.

Kagome looked at him, afraid that she was pushing him away. "You leaving?"

"No. Stand up." She did as obeyed. Inuyasha pushed her off the blanket and picked it up, draping it over his shoulder. "Come here." Kagome walked over to him and softly gasped when he wrapped his arm around her. "Hold on," he warned her as he leapt up onto the first branch in the giant _Goshinboku_.

Holding onto her, he brought her down so she could straddle the branch. He sat down, his back against the trunk, his legs hanging off either side of the branch. Kagome scooted back until she was resting up against him. Inuyasha laid the blanket over the both of them, wrapping his arms around her and the blanket.

"So pretty," she whispered as parts of the setting sun where shown to her through the gaps and spaces between the leaves. What she enjoyed most about the view was sitting so close to the man behind her.

Inuyasha rested his chin on the top of her head, his senses making sure that the woman in his arms remained safe. He recalled the events of the day, his mind trying to work out what happened and how he ended up reacting to everything. His overzealous jealousy, the moment he lost control, how close he was to mating with Kagome…mating…

_Oh fuck_, he inwardly yelled out. _It's fuckin' mating season!_

Mating season came a little later for the hanyou due to the new moon. His demon blood grew in power and influence until its peak, the night of the full moon, and then his powers weakened until he lost them all on the dark night of the new moon. Right now, his demon blood was just waking up with spring in full bloom all around him.

_Damn_.

For even though his human counterpart gave her control when it came to having sex, during mating season he might have to go back on his word if the situation got to a point where he just lost himself to the _youkai _blood in him. Kagome didn't realize the danger he was putting both of them in.

"Kagome? Are you around?"

"Hi Mama. Up in the _Goshinboku_," Kagome yelled back.

"Evening Inuyasha. Will you make sure that Kagome doesn't stay out here too late? It's supposed to get cold tonight. And I don't want either one of you catching a cold."

"I will."

"Did you two have a good _hanami_?"

"The day's not over with yet, Mama."

"It is for me dear. Once upon a time I could stay up all night under the _sakura _trees, drinking sake, and singing songs, but…it's for your more youthful generation now."

"Sure, Mama, if you say so."

"Goodnight, dears. See you in the morning."

"Night, Mama," Kagome watched her mother disappear into the Shrine house. If she hadn't stopped Inuyasha when she did…Her face burned with a vicious blush. She felt like a teenager suddenly, trying to hide her indiscretions with the boy she was with from her mother.

"Inuyasha…"

"What?"

"Um, what do you think about Abe's stance with North Korea?"

"Eh?"

"I was trying to get your thoughts, your position on-"

"Why?"

"Why? I want to know more about you."

"Why?"

"I just said-"

"Is knowing my stance on nuclear weapons and North Korea really going to change your mind about me?"

"Well, no. I wouldn't think so-"

"You talk too much, you know that?"

"Is it a bad thing? Not the talking bit, but the getting to know you part?"

"Don't you already know me?"

"Er…sometimes I think I do. There was the human night…and what happened today…I know that I can't know everything about you, but I can try with what I can."

"Keh, don't force yourself."

"So, you're okay with not knowing about my stance on conserving traditional Japanese values versus becoming a more integrated member of the global society, the growing concerns of global warming, or-"

"Yup."

"Doesn't that make me a…a…a stranger to you?"

"Nope."

"Um, okay then."

And in the silence of the evening, they watched as the sun slowly dipped into the buildings. Inuyasha looked down at the girl in his arms, smirking at her sleeping form. She was always falling asleep on him. He couldn't blame her, though. Today was a long day. And he kind of liked it.

Scooping her up in his arms without waking her and keeping the blanket wrapped around her, he landed soundlessly on the soft, dewy grass. Mama Higurashi was right; the night was going to be a cool one. His bare feet gently padded across the grounds until he reached the front door. He opened it, hoping to avoid any hinge squeaks. Once inside, he locked the door before bolting up the stairs towards Kagome's room.

Using a foot to push her door open, he walked into her dark room, setting the girl down onto her bed, tucking the blankets around her. He sighed as he gazed down upon her. She was a silly creature that he enjoyed being with.

"Stay," she lightly mumbled, her hand loosely grabbing onto his wrist.

_When did the wench wake up?_

"Are you sure?" he asked, wondering if she was really awake or if this was some sleep babble.

She nodded her head against the pillow before heaving out a lazy 'yes.'

Inuyasha turned to close the door shut. He knew her mother recognized them as adults, but she didn't have to see. He headed back to the bed and thought about taking off his shirt or not. Normally he slept with it off, but considering Kagome, he thought about leaving it on.

With shirt and pants tossed haphazardly on the flood, Inuyasha crawled into the bed with Kagome. In her sleepy state, she tossed the picnic blanket onto the floor followed by her dress. Inuyasha was once again surprised by her bold moves, leaving her in a one of those barely there tank tops and her panties.

He waited until she was comfortable before moving over to her, carefully not to startle her. Inuyasha quickly fell asleep with Kagome in his arms, her scent and her steady breathing lulling him to slumber land. Just as he was content to wake up with her in his arms, going to sleep with her was just as good.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"It's what?!" Kagome cried out as she bounced a baby on her knee surrounded by four other restless children and their two mothers. Kagome looked over at Ayame, who sat to her left, and then to Ayumi, who sat to her right at the dining room table in Ayame's house.

Ayame chuckled at the naïve girl. "It's mating season, dummy."

"Mating season? As in the birds and…and fish?" Kagome questioned as she was trying to understand what was going on. She came over to ask Ayame about what had happened at _hanami_ between Inuyasha and Kouga.

"Yes, like that. And for those of us influenced by demonic blood." Ayame explained as she matched swaths of fabric to paint. Now that Moriko was old enough, Ayame was getting back into work.

"Eri would say that humans are mildly affected by it as well," Ayumi added since Eri was their little expert on mating.

"That's one reason why Eri isn't here. She'd scare our Kagome."

"She's also with her flavor of the month, flying around the world with some jetsetter," Ayumi explained as to the other reason Eri couldn't be around to explain things to Kagome.

"And so this 'mating season' is the reason why Inuyasha was that close to going after Kouga's throat?"

"Partially. He does like you. And that fondness of you extends to his demon side as well."

"So, why hasn't he tried to hump my leg yet?"

Ayame had to laugh at that. She would have to share that with Kouga later. It was funny. "We're not animals, Kagome. We have control, well, some of us do. I can't speak for all _youkai_."

"Some of you?" Ayumi asked as she calculated Ayame and Kouga's bills.

"It's the same for some humans. Rape. You hear a lot of demons claim that mating season as some kind of 'Twinkie defense' in the rape of someone. It sickens me."

"So, Inuyasha's feelings for me are just heightened then?"

"Not really. His feelings for you remain the same. It's just that his instincts are telling him to mate with you, so he'll be overly protective and really sweet. Anything to make you passive so he can make his move."

"Isn't Kouga normally like that?"

"Oh Ayumi, you have no idea. Yeah, Kouga and I have a healthy sex life, but come mating season he can't get any work done. It's 'sex, mate, fuck' over and over until I'm pregnant."

Kagome looked down at Misato, Ayumi's little girl. Mating season. Of course. It was about creating offspring. She groaned at the thought. But it wasn't so bad. They had only been seeing each other for a short time and not long enough to even think about the slight possibility of children.

"How long does mating season last?" Kagome asked as she moved Misato onto a different leg.

"Oh, depends on the species. I come into heat four times a year. Kouga's ready whenever, but is on overdrive from late March to early June."

"Spring."

"Yup, pretty much," Ayame tossed away a pattern that she felt was too busy. "I had to explain and re-explain your situation to Kouga. You know how dense he can be sometimes."

"My situation? I didn't even realize I had one."

"You haven't told Inuyasha about the relationship you have with Kouga, have you?"

Kagome gulped. "Well, no, not really, it just hasn't come up-"

"And why he found the two of you hugging? Or why Kouga is so protective of you from the start?"

"I did tell Inuyasha that I'm your children's godmother and that Kouga was interested in me waaaay back in the day."

"That's surface crap, Kagome. Inuyasha could've figured that stuff out on his own."

"Ayame, do I need to know why you or someone in your household bought what is listed here as a 'love doll'?"

"Nope. Just ignore it or pretend it's something else."

"Good."

"He'll…I don't think he'll understand. It's obvious he doesn't like Kouga and that would just complicate matters more."

"But if Inuyasha cares about you, he'll accept it, or at least pretend to."

"I wonder if Hojo ever really accepted it…" Kagome mused as she placed Misato down on the ground to run around with Moriko.

Ayumi shrugged. "Like knowing that will help you out now. But, you'll want to be honest with him and it'll be easier to tell him now rather than later."

"What are you afraid of?" Ayame suspiciously eyed Kagome, wondering if the girl was hiding something else.

"Other than him thinking badly of me, nothing."

"Even if he hates Kouga, I doubt he wouldn't understand it."

"Kagome, when will you see him again?" Ayumi asked, setting her pencil down on top of her stack of graphs.

"Tonight," she replied. "Going out for a quick dinner and then maybe a walk."

"Then tell him tonight. Get it over with. He might be able to handle Kouga and mating season a little easier."

"I somehow doubt the Kouga part."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Inuyasha?"

"Hmm?"

"Remember our conversation last night? The one about me being a stranger because of topics we don't talk about?"

"Sure."

"Well…after what happened between you and Kouga, what Ayame told me today, and all that…there's…there's something I _do_ need to tell you."

Inuyasha stopped, just for a moment, but then continued walking alongside Kagome as he watched her work on gathering the courage to tell him something. He had to admit, part of him was fearful of what she was going to say. He knew Ayame was the wolf demoness, meaning she might have explained something to Kagome about his demon side. He could be in serious trouble.

"I said that my relationship with Kouga was basically me being a godmother to his children and that's…that's not quite everything. To put it bluntly, it's much deeper than that."

Inuyasha stopped again and just stared at her, dumbfounded by her confession. Was he hearing her correctly? Kagome stopped as well, though she didn't look at Inuyasha at all. She found a nearby bench and walked over to it, sitting down before letting out a troubled sigh.

"You didn't fuck him, did you?"

Kagome looked up at him, shock written all over her face, her body stiff from the crude question. "Ew, no…I already told you he wanted to have _that_ kind of relationship with me, but…ew…that's just gross."

"Then what?"

"Kouga…no, before that. I've known Ayame for almost seven years now. Weekends from college were sometimes spent at the Shrine where Mama would happily do all of our laundry for us and cook us homemade meals. When Ayame was in her second year, I introduced her to Kouga and they started dating. They hit it off immediately and soon they were inseparable. So, when weekends were spent at the Shrine, Kouga tagged along. My brother Souta hung out with Kouga while us girls did our girlie things. So, Souta sorta became a younger brother to Kouga and Kouga's brothers, Hakkaku and Ginta.

"When Souta died, Kouga really didn't know what to do, but he wasn't going to cry with everyone else. He came and saw me alone during my period of mourning and told me how much they all missed Souta; how important he'd become to their pack. He told me that after one of Souta's baseball games, they apparently inducted Souta into their pack as a brother. Kouga extended that relationship to me. He said having him and his pack as brothers could never replace Souta, but as Souta requested, they would look out for me and protect me, as well as Mama.

"Yesterday in the park, Kouga was startled by you and his defensive stance was for my protection as his pack sister. You'll have to prove yourself to him, just as you would have to have done if Souta were still around. It took Souta and Kouga more than a year to accept Hojo."

Kagome stood up and walked over to Inuyasha, taking one of his hands in hers, holding it tightly. "I hope you can be okay with this. I didn't accept his offer at first, but I had to because it was what Souta wanted. Kouga, Hakkaku, Ginta…they are doing what they can to make sure that I am safe and happy."

Inuyasha wiped some of the tears away from her cheek. He had to respect this honorable request of Kagome's brother. "I will protect you. Your brother, Souta, not the shitty wolf ones, can be sure of that."

"Thank you."

"Keh."

Kagome squeezed Inuyasha in a bone crushing hug. She felt so much better about telling him about this part of her life. Inuyasha recognized just how important her brother was in her life, even though he was already gone. She wasn't completely wrong when it came to the talking in order to get to know someone. They both continued on their evening walk, close to one another.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's note:** The long awaited Chapter 24. You can probably expect to wait as long for Chapter 25 as you did for this. Work is going great. I'm not doing the stuff on my own, which I think is harder than training. I know many of you were disappointed that they didn't do it. Sorry, I had a bag of limes in my fridge that I need to use up before they go bad. Really, I do. No recipes like usual. At least nothing specific. The food that is mentioned is explained below. If you'd like a recipe for any of the mentioned foods, let me know and I'll crack open the books.

Thanks for the reviews and thanks for reading. Sorry to make you wait so long, but, I really am trying to put as much as I can into the chapters around work and my other adult duties. Thanks for bearing with me.

Translation Notes:

Hanami – from the Kanji _hana_ meaning flower and _mi_ meaning to see. It's the flower viewing festival that is celebrated in Japan. It was originally brought over to Japan from the Chinese, who would view plum trees. The Japanese did view plum trees as well until the time of the samurai when the samurai found a philosophy in the sakura (cherry) blossoms in which life was beautiful, but short. Japanese news stations make hanami predictions, when the cherry blossoms start to bloom in mid-March to the first of April. Most people celebrate hanami by going to a park and having a picnic underneath the blossoms, eating and drinking sake. Hanami parties can last well into the night.

Sakura – cherry blossoms

Ueno Park – a large public park in Tokyo that is a popular tourist destination. It contains three museums, a concert hall, and a zoo.

Food translations:

Yakitori – literally 'grilled bird,' a Japanese type of skewered chicken made from several bite-sized pieces of chicken meat barbecued on a bamboo skewer.

Taru sauce – condiment dipping sauce made from mirin (a sweet sake-like liquid with lower alcohol content, used in teriyaki sauce), sweet sake, soy sauce, and sugar.

Natto – a traditional Japanese food of fermented soybeans.

Sushi – vinegared rice combined with fish (either raw or cooked), it can be rolled in nori (seaweed), or not.

Sashimi – Japanese delicacy consisting of thinly sliced seafood served with a dipping sauce.

Udon – thick wheat-based noodle usually served as a noodle soup in a mild flavored broth.

Soba – a thin Japanese noodle made from buckwheat that can be served chilled with a dipping sauce or in a hot broth as a noodle soup.

Tempura – classic Japanese deep-fried batter-dipped seafood and vegetables. The batter is basically made from ice cold water, flour, and eggs, stirred quickly with chopsticks.

Kuri fukume ni – roasted chestnuts

Bento – single-portion homemade meal or takeout. Traditionally, bento consists of rice, fish or meat, and a pickled or regular vegetable side dish.

Wagashi – this is the name of the confectionary candy that Kagome was looking at and helping that strange man out with. There are more than a dozen types of wagashi, including dango and manju.

Name Translations:

Hideki – excellent talent

Hiromasa – big brave

Taketarou – fierce son

Moriko – forest child

Misato – beautiful blessing

These names could have different meanings depending on the kanji used. In order to make the actual meaning of names clear, Japanese rely on business cards when presenting themselves to another.

Aug 30, 2007 edits were made


	25. Chapter 25

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Twenty and FivePuppy Tales**

"Absolutely, we do that…For which night? Two weeks…Saturday night…Start time? Just around five? Okay. And about how many people do you expect? Oh wow. Guest list? Well, you can just fax it over when it's finalized. Any specific menu items wanted? Oh, sure we can do that. If you have any special requests, requirements, I do ask that you get them to me by next Friday so I can order what I need. Sounds great. Anything else, just give me a call. Al-right then, you have a good day. Bye."

Kagome hung up the phone before squealing out in delight. She couldn't believe it. K.O.N., one of the top PR firms in Japan had just asked her and her restaurant to host their annual dinner celebration. Talk about publicity. K.O.N. was _the_ most respected firm that businesses and celebrities hired. Its reputation was known world-wide and Kagome started to freak out at _that_ thought.

Two hundred guests, at least for four hours, and it all had to be ready in two weeks. She wondered if maybe she was too excited about the appointment that two weeks might not be enough time to get what she needed to get done. A menu had to be planned, food and drinks ordered and stocked, not to mention all of the other tiny details that she was already starting to worry about.

Her mind was already racing about. Ideas popped into her head and she tried to catch them all. Closing her notebook, she had to get out of this office and go to a place where she could concentrate. First though, she headed up to the bar to find Bankotsu and Jakotsu arguing about lime wedges.

"Hey guys," Kagome greeted them all too cheerfully.

"Hi Kagome, what's up with you?" Jakotsu asked as he gave her a quick kiss on her cheek. "Girl, you're practically glowing. Did you finally get some?"

Bankotsu slapped his friend across the back of his shoulder. "You can't just go and ask a chick something like that."

"Watch the Chanel. And of course I can," Jakotsu countered as he batted his mascara-ed lashes at him.

"You girls really talk to each other like that? Right, well, so, Kagome, what's going on then? You are unusually chipper."

"Aren't I normally chipper?"

"Not like this."

"Oh, well, here's what's going on then. K.O.N., the uber-famous PR firm, called and wants _us_ to host their annual dinner."

"Really? Are there going to be celebrities?" Jakotsu immediately asked growing just as excited as Kagome was about this whole deal.

"I don't know. I don't have the guest list yet. Anyway, we'll need to overstock the bar for that weekend. If you can think of anything special that you think would be good, order it."

"Sure, it had to be work-related," Jakotsu whined.

"What?"

"We hardly see you anymore Kagome," Bankotsu commented as he wiped down the area where he had sliced up the lime wedges.

"Oh…uh…sorry. I don't mean to not be seen."

"Actually Kags, it's a good thing," Jakotsu stated. "It means you're finally getting a life. And with that silver-haired stud no less. We're proud of you, honey."

Kagome blushed. It felt like any moment she wasn't at the restaurant, she was with Inuyasha or one of her friends talking about Inuyasha. She didn't think she was abandoning the restaurant, but it wasn't the first thing she thought about in the morning anymore.

"I can't help it," she chirped out, giggling. "But, back to this. We'll probably want to schedule all of our staff for that whole day. Bankotsu, work with Shippo on scheduling the chefs. I'll have a menu ready hopefully by next week. We'll order the food and then figure out how to organize the kitchen for it."

"Sure thing. I'll also take care of advertising that we'll be closed to the public that night."

"And on supplies, make sure all of the bathrooms have extra toilet paper, that we have extra napkins, that sort of thing."

"Keep us updated."

"I will. I'll be out to start on the menu, so, if you need me, call my cell."

They waved goodbye to each other before she bounded down the stairs and back to her office to gather her notebook and purse. She was off for a field trip to the market. Appetizers, salad, soup, main course and dessert…it was just the beginning of her planning. Two weeks was definitely not enough time. She was already starting to feel stressed out.

Taking several slow and deep breaths, eyes closed, she emptied her mind until she didn't feel so overwhelmed. Opening her eyes, she headed out of the restaurant to do her research.

**xxxxx-----One Week Later-----xxxxx**

Normally, Kagome sat across from Inuyasha during their lunches together. Today, that was not the case. Kagome warily glanced to her left side where a growling and annoyed inu-hanyou sat. To her right was the one that the inu-hanyou was growling at. How did he know what time and at exactly which table the couple occupied?

"Well, this is a surprise," Kagome nearly shouted out, chuckling nervously. _Oh boy_, she thought, _this is going to be a disaster_. The tension between the half-brothers was suffocating as their _youkai_ clawed violently against each other, trying to establish dominance.

When neither replied, Kagome waved Jakotsu over, afraid to leave the two of them alone, afraid for them, and the status of her restaurant. Kagome whispered orders for everyone and Jakotsu scurried off to fulfill their order. Even Jakotsu knew when to stay away. He returned to set their drinks down in front of Kagome before hurrying away again. He'd let Kagome handle that impending doom.

Kagome slid around glasses of water and cups of green tea to the brothers, and for herself, cherry lemonade. She knew something was up when Sesshoumaru didn't show up at eleven for his usual lunch. Thinking he had a meeting or something, she hadn't expected him to be waiting for Inuyasha at their table in the bar. Rin must've said something because of her little crush on the _taiyoukai_, giving him free information.

Looking around the bar as a way to pass the awkward silence, she noticed Shippo standing at the top of the steps peering at her and her guests. She waved him over when she noticed the plates of prepared food in his hands. Shippo shook his head at her. As a young youkai, he was scared of the older, more powerful ones and he was sensing their struggles, a struggle he knew not to interfere with. Kagome had no choice but to leave the table.

Shippo met her halfway, handed her the food and then made a hasty retreat back downstairs into the safety of the kitchen. Kagome served the meals, Sesshoumaru's usual and the dinner special for Inuyasha and herself. Neither attempted to touch their meals as their staring contest continued.

Slamming her hands down onto the table, she caused Inuyasha to flinch and Sesshoumaru to quickly dart his eyes in her direction at her outburst. "I've had enough of this. Sesshoumaru obviously you have something to say to Inuyasha, so please remove that icicle that's shoved so far up your butt, it's making your ears pointier than normal. Holding info like this doesn't make you powerful at all."

She then turned to glare at Inuyasha. "And next time you need to tell him or ask him something, be the top dog I know you are and just do it instead of pouting all of the time." Having said what she needed, Kagome took a calming breath and replaced her grimace with a sweet smile. "If you feel like eating first, go ahead," she added with a sweet voice.

Sesshoumaru, moved by Kagome's bold words, cleared his throat as he pushed his meal away. Kagome gasped at his gesture, confused by his meaning. Had she offended him? Looking up at Sesshoumaru, she searched his frosty gold eyes for an explanation. Of course, they gave her nothing, but it hadn't stopped her from trying.

"The hospital has admitted to being the party at fault, guilty of the wrongdoing in the death of the patient."

Kagome's eyes went wide at Sesshoumaru's confession. Once its meaning quickly settled in, laughing at the outcome she turned to Inuyasha. "Isn't that wonderful?"

Inuyasha didn't show any emotion, not even relief. He stared back at his brother, ignoring Kagome's good cheer. "What was the cause?"

"After several tests, they determined she had a similar, more severe allergic reaction during her recovery at the hospital."

"I asked about the fuckin' cause."

"The patient was allergic to the anesthesia, specifically, propofol. After searching her medical history, we found that she never had a reason to be put under and therefore when filling out the medical history forms, she, too, was unaware of her own allergy."

"How scary," Kagome softly commented. Immediately, she began to fret about any strange and uncommon allergies she could possibly have.

"So the hospital put her under. What for?"

"They wouldn't elaborate. Finding the information about the propofol was difficult in and of itself. The hospital was not cooperating with us on the manner. Luckily, the coroner owed me a favor."

"You sneaky son of a bitch."

"Your complimented is accepted."

"So, Inuyasha and Miroku…they and the clinic are off the hook?"

"For now. We are waiting to see if the family decides to take this to court. It is likely they would argue that both the clinic and the hospital should've tested for allergies to any substances, metals, and chemicals used in all procedures."

"Would they have a chance?"

"Not with this bastard in court."

"We share the same father, whelp. Though, he is correct. We'll try to stop them from suing so that money isn't wasted in a matter that could be dragged through the legal system for years. Most likely, they'll go after the hospital and not the clinic."

"Thank you for telling this to him in person," Kagome said to the taiyoukai. She knew Inuyasha would never thank him and she felt that Sesshoumaru deserved it. "Let's celebrate with lunch. Totally my treat."

Inuyasha was grateful for Kagome's forwardness, for once. He felt so relieved. That and his secret about the new moon was safe from anyone outside of the few that knew about it. His clinic was safe and Miroku was as well. Inuyasha would've left the clinic, sacrificing his career if he had to in order to keep the clinic open. But he was glad he didn't. It was really all he had left of his mother.

Kagome spun her upper body around in her chair. "Jakotsu, two boxes of our finest."

"Our finest what?"

"Whatever," Kagome cranked her head around to look at her male guests. "Preferences?"

"I'll trust the lady's instinct," Sesshoumaru politely replied.

"Keh, whatever," Inuyasha grumbled knowing Sesshoumaru was trying to keep him riled up. "Nothing fancy or girly."

"I know that," Kagome said with a grin. Turning back towards Jakotsu, she yelled, "Male drinks please."

Sesshoumaru began eating his meal quickly and efficiently, without any acknowledgement of Kagome, nor Inuyasha. Kagome turned to Inuyasha, starting in on her meal and conversing with her hanyou boyfriend like normal.

She explained how well the restaurant's booth did at the _hanami_ festival, how the students fared, and that she still wasn't unable to choose which students to accept for the summer session. She described how there were only five spots available starting in June and having to pick only five out of a class of sixty was not something she was sure she could do. However, she suspected that the school would end up choosing the five from her recommendations.

Inuyasha didn't know how to help her, but he did have some advice to share with her. He just told her to go with her gut instinct. He always went with his and he never regretted any of his decisions.

By then, lunch was over with. Jakotsu had brought the brothers two square bamboo cups of sake which had been finished by the time they were done with their lunch. Sesshoumaru folded his napkin up and placed it next to his empty plate.

"I remind you about the dinner you are expected to attend," he directed his carefully chosen words at Inuyasha before turning to address Kagome. "Thank you for lunch."

"Would you like a mid-afternoon dessert?" Kagome asked, feeling as if she personally owed Sesshoumaru something for sharing the good news.

"I must decline. I have appointments to keep. Excuse me." And before he let her say anything else, he gracefully dashed off toward the exit.

"Well, that was nice of him to stop by to tell you about the outcome of the case personally."

Inuyasha heard her, but didn't acknowledge it. His half-brother was a pompous, frosty, son of a bitch whose sole reason for this disgusting display was to make Inuyasha look dumb. Inuyasha's hands fisted tightly and then loosened over and over as his blood rose to boiling temperatures.

"I've gotta go," he quickly rushed out, grabbing his stuff so he could leave.

"Huh?" She looked up at him, her head cocked to the side as she tried to understand what was going on with him. "O-okay."

"I'll see ya later," he mumbled out as he bolted out of his chair, practically running toward the spiral staircase.

Kagome shook her head at him. Sometimes she couldn't understand him, or his reasoning for the things he said or did. She just figured he wanted to tell Miroku the good news since they were both being held liable for the safety and, ultimately, the death of that patient. Now, they could continue to help other patients without this black cloud hanging over their heads.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Sesshoumaru was comfortably sitting in his office reviewing some of the messages that he'd collected during his lunch at _KenSen_. The lawyer who was representing the family of the deceased patient had called requesting a meeting as soon as possible. That was good news. The other messages were normal things he encountered on a daily basis as both the lead lawyer and the president of the board of directors.

His finely tuned, pointed ears could hear voices disagreeing with each other just outside his door. Sesshoumaru sighed as he set his messages aside and turned to his computer to check his e-mail. The program barely opened up on his screen when the door burst wide open, the thick wood slapping against the wall. He raised a brow to the priceless pieces of art rattling in their spots.

"Do not mess with Sesshoumaru-sama's art. It is worth more than your life," the tiny toad stated bluntly to the hanyou that was charging past him. "Hey, don't ignore me!"

Inuyasha donkey-kicked Jaken in the face, sending him skipping along the carpeted floor until hitting the first object in his path, his very own desk. Inuyasha took that chance to close and lock the door, uninviting the toad from anymore pointless interruptions. Turning to his brother, he pointed a clawed finger at the bastard. "What the fuck was that?" he spat out.

Sesshoumaru continued to check his e-mail. Of course he heard Inuyasha. With the way he always went about yelling, how could he not? With his brother, he could keep his calm, be rational, and could think carefully before saying the right words, or choosing not to say anything at all, while his pathetic excuse of a half-brother ranted about. It was entertaining for a few minutes before it got annoying.

"I'm sorry, you said something," Sesshoumaru coolly stated, knowing exactly how to press his brother's buttons.

"Don't pull that shit with me."

"I don't play with shit."

Inuyasha growled his annoyance. "So, why the grandstanding?"

"Grandstanding? Me?"

"When did you find out the results?"

"This morning," Sesshoumaru replied as Inuyasha had finally calmed down enough to speak at a normal volume and he took the seat in front of his desk, but he wasn't calmed down enough to keep his nails from rattling against the wooden arms.

"Why didn't….why couldn't you tell me then?"

"I chose not to."

"You _chose_ not to? What kind of an answer is that?"

"The one I gave you. I had something to attend to and confirm before I could share the news. Forgive me for being thorough."

"You're ignoring my fuckin' original question."

"Which was?"

"Why go to the restaurant during _my_ lunch with Kagome?"

"Kagome had a right to know."

"Damn, I could've told her…You…You don't…" Inuyasha quickly stopped himself from saying it, from even thinking it.

"Miss Higurashi has been a pillar of great support for both you and that pervert of a gynecologist. She sent us food when she knew of the long hours my lawyers were dedicating to this. The foolish woman would not leave me alone about the matter. It was as if she was more worried about the outcome than you were."

Inuyasha missed Sesshoumaru's change in his use from Kagome's given name to family name. "Keh, stupid wench. I told her not to. It wasn't her problem."

"She made it her own since it was yours."

There was an awkward silence as Inuyasha really thought about what Kagome had done, and all behind his back. At first, he was furious with her. He told her not to get involved. It wasn't her problem; she wasn't the one whose patient was sent to the hospital only to die because of something she'd done to the patient. None of her customers had ever gotten sick. But of course, she didn't listen. Now, he felt a bit…betrayed, betrayed that she couldn't tell him that she was in contact with his brother, even providing his legal minions food.

"What is Kagome to you?"

Inuyasha shook his daze off as he glanced over at his brother. "What…"

"Never mind. Are you planning on inviting her to the dinner?"

"Dinner? What dinner?"

Sesshoumaru tossed the beige envelope over to Inuyasha. Inuyasha pulled out the contents and scanned over the writing. He hastily stuffed the paper back inside and tossed the envelope back at this brother.

"I hate those things."

"It's your clinic," Sesshoumaru reminded the younger doctor.

"I have assholes like you to go for me."

"I see. It's your choice. Far be it from me to tell you how to run your own clinic."

"You fuckin' do."

"If you don't have anything else to waste my time with, then I suggest that you leave so we both can get back to work, now that you still have a job."

Inuyasha stared at his brother, dumbfounded by their conversation. It had gone from one thing to another and Inuyasha could vaguely remember it even though it had just ended. He barely caught Sesshoumaru's out of the blue question about Kagome. Again, he started to ponder the thought that…no…it couldn't be. This was his brother for kami's sake, a human-hater club member.

Shaking his head, he quickly shot up out of the chair and headed out, stomping on the green youkai that was sputtering something about an 'inconsiderate hanyou.'

So, there was a dinner function he might have to attend to show support for his clinic and the company that did so much for them. He never went to them. Sesshoumaru went since he was a board member. Correction, he basically was the board of directors as nothing happened without his blessing. Inuyasha knew that deep down he couldn't complain; Sesshoumaru handled everything he didn't want to.

As he made his way back to his office, he started to consider the dinner as a potential date with Kagome. She seemed to have an interest in his job. If that was true, if she really wanted to support him, then having her by his side at the function could work. And it would give him an actually good reason to attend that damned thing.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

She had a theme. Having a theme made everything so much easier. The menu, the chinaware, ingredients, they all flowed from her theme, and she couldn't stop. The only time she left the kitchen was to have her lunch with Inuyasha, and even then, she spoke little as she scribbled out recipes.

Inuyasha quickly caught on that something was up. She wasn't talking. He didn't want to admit that her concentration and silence actually bothered him. Now, he was unable to just blurt out his question as his own voice would be an intrusion on the still that was becoming common between them that week.

"Uh…Kagome…," he started, gulping in between the spoken words. How could someone as physically weak as her intimidate him like this?

"Yeah?" she quickly replied without looking up from her work.

It was Wednesday and the dinner was this weekend, and he had yet to ask her to go. "I've got this thing to go to this weekend. Go with me." Okay, that didn't quite come out the way he had planned it. And he had planned it out a lot. All slightly different. He wanted to be polite and even a little sweeter, softer than his usual gruff self.

"Huh," Kagome let out as she gazed at her papers. "This weekend?" she asked when she finally looked up at him.

"Keh, that's what I said."

"_This _this weekend?"

Inuyasha paused. The way she was questioning him…"What? You got other plans?"

"Actually yeah. I told you about it…briefly…uh…maybe…"

"You didn't say one damn word."

"Oh, really? I'm sorry. I meant to tell you…I thought I did. I guess I got too caught up in all of the planning."

"What planning?"

"A buffet for this Saturday."

"Fuck," he muttered to what he thought was just himself.

"Something wrong?"

"No." Actually, yes. He did that RSVP thing and was now expected to show up, though it would be alone.

"Are you sure? We should celebrate the good news since we haven't yet," Kagome added the last part as more of an afterthought. She'd been so busy with this that a part of her neglected Inuyasha. He hadn't said anything last weekend when she couldn't put aside some of the planning for a little celebratory dinner. Now she felt bad.

"I'll make it up to you. Hmmm?"

It had to be spring fever. It just had to be. He narrowed his eyes at her as he smiled mischievously. "And how do you plan to do that?" He could hope. He wasn't going to use this situation to make her do something she wasn't ready for, plus he had to honor his promise – his stupid promise – about her having control, but…he sighed. A guy could fantasize.

"Not that," she screeched out, blushing at his unsaid wish. Shaking her head lightly, she giggled softly at herself. "How about I…I cook you dinner?"

"Keh, you've done that before."

"At your place then."

Inuyasha froze as he slowly considered her words. That's right, she'd never been inside his place, though he'd been to the Shrine quite a lot. In fact, never had a girl he'd been with been to his place. His apartment was his own private sanctuary that he didn't need others to enter.

"Or not then," Kagome mumbled when she didn't get an immediate answer from him. She had yet to be invited to his place and she was getting pretty curious. Sango had been to his apartment once and stood only in the entrance, so she could only tell Kagome that he had wooden floors.

Kagome had imagined several times what his apartment could look like. Would it have a rustic, dark wood feel, much like his office, or would it be modern and simple with the barest of necessities? Then she wondered about the colors of the towels, the sheets, the couch…did he even have a couch?

And then she tried to imagine what his kitchen was like. She was sure it only had what came with the apartment and then he probably had a microwave, a teakettle, some dishes, and some silverware. Of course, the microwave was for heating up instant ramen and ramen leftovers.

_Did he even have leftovers of ramen_?

"The Shrine could work. I mean…I have all of my stuff there," she quickly put out so that they could move along to a new topic. It was obvious that Inuyasha had an issue with his apartment so she figured that since he didn't push her about sex, that she wouldn't push him about his apartment. No, they could each have their own little fantasies.

"I never said no."

"But you never said yes, either."

"Keh, do you always have to assume the negative, wench?"

"What…wench?" Kagome spluttered her words, flabbergasted at his name calling. "I…I…"

"Well, what do you expect?"

"I …I didn't expect for you to call me such a derogatory name."

"What do you want me to call you?"

"My name."

"Then the next time don't jump to such a stupid conclusion."

"So…uh…what was this about again?"

"I was thinking about my schedule next weekend."

"Oh."

"Dinner at my place is fine."

"Really?" Her eyes grew wide. Finally, she was going to get her hands on his kitchen. "Great. If I wasn't working this buffet thing right now…so many meals. Eh, other than the obvious choice, is there anything in particular that you-you would want?"

"Not really."

"Okay. I do feel bad about not being able to attend your function. I've got a lot riding on this. It's our first official professional catering gig. Oh and guess what, I hear that some famous celebrities might show up."

"Probably just some punk-ass movie star."

"Mmmm…yes, he was in a few movies."

"Who?"

"Fujiwara Tatsuya."

"Wuss. He gets killed."

"So. Oh..oh…Fujiki Naohita is rumored to appear."

"Who the fuck is that?"

"He's a TV drama actor and singer. Though I wish Fukuyama Masahara was going to be there. He was so cute in _Bijo ka Yajuu_."

Kagome's voice faded into gibberish as his boiling blood echoed loudly in his sensitive ears. His hands gripped the chair seat as his growing nails drilled crescent-shaped holes into the expensive wood.

He knew who these so-called 'men' were. Actors, singers, whatever. Worthless pretty boys is what they really were. They were guys ogled over by giddy, squealing females. All it took was for some guy to tell some girl he was an actor and – BAM – automatic date, or more. He saw Miroku use that tactic a few times, and successfully.

There was only one way to fix this. He had an sneaking suspicion that Fujiwara Tatsuya was a demon, meaning that Inuyasha had to find a clever way to mark Kagome as his so any demon at her buffet thing would know that she was being courted and leave her alone. Sex was out of the question, though he was relying on a scent mark to be his claim.

"Friday night," he forced out between clenched fangs as he slowly regained control of his raging demon hormones.

"Friday?" she curiously asked, seeing his tensed form.

"Friday night we're going out."

"Out?" she questioned. "Out?" she repeated a little louder as if she wasn't sure that was what he had actually said. "But…I mean…I…" she sighed when she realized that any argument on her part was futile. With that hard, determined look he was giving her, he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

She kind of liked it.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome's face was on fire. It was as red as the sweet cherry tomatoes that she was slicing into neat little halves. She could feel his intense gaze piercing her back, like two sharp Kryptonite laser beams weakening her strength to even stand up straight. Kagome ceased her cutting, setting the knife on the board, her hand on top of the handle. She took several deep breaths, trying to bleach the scarlet color that had somehow permanently dyed her face.

She felt someone walk up to her, stopping just off to her side. Kagome remained silent as she could sense him sniffing her, causing her to still. Holding her breath, she waited for him to just continue on his way. She didn't need him making strange or embarrassing remarks about the situation.

"Pee-yew Kagome, you stink."

Kagome's grip onto the handle of the knife tightened. "Shippo," she growled out low, her only warning to him to keep all other comments to himself.

She couldn't smell it herself, but she had received a lot of disgusted looks on her way to work. So, she might've had to go a little overboard with the perfume. But it wasn't her fault. She had taken a shower, but that was when she thought the night was over. However, someone else had other ideas which left her with no extra time to take that much-needed second shower before heading off to the restaurant to get the buffet organized.

That, and the encore forced her to change the outfit she had planned to wear for tonight. Instead of that cute spring dress she bought when out shopping with Sango and Yuka, she had to go back to her winter dresses for something that covered her up from neck to knee. At least the back was bare, so she could tolerate the warmer weather.

Kagome tugged at the turtleneck of her navy blue dress, the material hiding the 'chocolate stains' that marred her neck, shoulder and upper chest. The thought of the fun that caused those markings caused her to stay in a perpetual state of red. But the dress and perfume could only hide so much. To those with a heightened sense of smell, they were not fooled by her alcohol-laced masks, including Shippo.

The young fox demon smelt something different about her right away, crinkling his nose at her several times, with narrowed eyes until they popped open at his epiphany, his mouth falling open as he froze in the midst of roasting nuts. He pointed the spatula at her, causing Kagome to making something of an 'eep' noise before scampering off.

It took her all of this to realize what Inuyasha had done to her, and why. He had shown up promptly at 5:30 to pick her up from work, dragging her out of the restaurant with a firm hold on her arm even as she continued to give reminders to any employee within an earshot.

And from that moment on, he never let her go.

Dinner was at the old man's place. They had a simple beef noodle dish. Inuyasha insisted on sitting next to her instead of across from her. And she had to briefly wonder how he managed to eat the dish with one arm wrapped around her and the other hand maneuvering his chopsticks well enough to clean his plate.

After dinner, she was whisked away to some ice cream parlor where they got waffle cones stuffed with their favorite flavors. Kagome told ice cream adventures about herself as a kid as they walked around the city to make it back to Inuyasha's vehicle shortly after both had finished their cones. Talk about perfect timing.

A short drive and they were at the Shrine, sipping tea and sharing small talk with her mother. Kagome was sure that her mother knew what was going on, that she suspected that Inuyasha's hand was not on his lap, but instead caressing her bare skin. The tea was cold compared to how hot Inuyasha was making her.

With Mama clued in on what Inuyasha had in mind, she excused herself for a bath before bed. Inuyasha hauled her up the stairs, over his shoulder, throwing her down softly onto her bed with the door closed and locked behind them. That predatory gaze in his eyes still haunted her, giving her goose bumps over what had happened and what she could only guess was to come.

Inuyasha's touchy-feeliness throughout the whole night didn't settle right for her for some reason as she was sure this was just his way of pressuring her for sex. But the feel of his hands running along her body, his lips on her skin, she soon forgot about that nagging feeling and they spent the whole night experiencing only NC-17 making out.

That was it. She stayed mostly dressed, as did he. Some clothes did end up flung somewhere in her room, but neither ended up with any private parts exposed. He never even tried to push her top up or her underwear down.

She couldn't figure out how the making out ended since they didn't have sex of any kind, but they both ended up asleep, with Inuyasha curled around her all python-like. What she did remember was waking up before Inuyasha and sneaking off to take a shower. It was after a quick breakfast that the make-out session resumed as if it had never ended.

Every inch of her skin was licked, kissed, touched, or sucked on. Now she knew why. Why he kept her busy long enough until she had no time to re-shower. He left her with a satisfied smirk on his boyish face, proud of his accomplishment.

_Wait until I see him…_

Kagome was steamed over his overactive demon hormones. Here she was, preparing a huge catering job and she was covered in dog slobber. It didn't seem sanitary at all. Plus, Shippo was marking weird faces and remarks about her stench.

Kagome forced her frustrations with Inuyasha into the preparation of the food for tonight's buffet. It was only a few hours away and she was feeling as if she were already behind.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Inuyasha sat in the back of the black luxury vehicle that Sesshoumaru hired to drive both of them to the party. Not only was Sesshoumaru forcing Inuyasha to attend this so-called important function, but he made him dress up for it as well. He hated polyester fabrics. He hated parties and functions. He hated his brother. He hated him for dragging his ass to this thing. Tonight wasn't shaping up to be even remotely bearable.

_I feel like a fuckin' Barbie doll._

His honeyed eyes stared out the tinted glass, his unfocused gaze missing all of the other shops, buildings, and cars that passed by. He was trying to come up with a way to get out of this. No way could he feign sickness with his brother around. Heck, even Miroku offered to call him claiming some kind emergency, but they couldn't come up with a plausible emergency and Inuyasha couldn't lie to his brother without the icy bastard immediately catching on to their ploy.

Inuyasha sighed for the umpteenth time, much to the annoyance of Sesshoumaru. He knew why Inuyasha avoided these things, but he would never understand his reason. Sesshoumaru would never admit, even to himself, that Inuyasha had somehow proven himself to the world. That, as a hanyou, he had beaten the odds and succeeded, unlike most pure- blooded demons and powerful humans. It was simply his status as a hanyou that he remained mostly hidden, and it was a place Inuyasha chose to be.

The car pulled to a slow, smooth stop in front of the venue. "We've arrived," the driver stated to his passengers.

"Inuyasha."

"You go," Inuyasha softly said as he stared out at the street. "I'll have the driver take me home."

Sesshoumaru roughly grabbed Inuyasha by the arm and yanked him out of the back seat, tossing him toward the doors. The driver quickly sped away as soon as Sesshoumaru slammed the door shut. There was no way Inuyasha could use the car as his escape now.

"Why you…" snarled an enraged hanyou.

"Our hosts are waiting." Sesshoumaru walked up to the glass doors that were opened up for him by a man dressed in a black tuxedo, slightly bowing at the taiyoukai.

"No fucking way," he softly said to himself in disbelief as he saw where they were actually at. He absentmindedly followed his brother inside the venue. He should've figured.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Have you seen any of them?"

"Any of who?"

"Those guys I kept telling you about."

"Um…nope. Sorry Kagome, but, to tell you the truth, I haven't really been looking."

"What?"

"I'm not really that interested in celebrities."

"Liar," Kagome pouted.

"And by the way, aren't you dating Inuyasha, like officially? So you really shouldn't be salivating for these guys."

"Well yeah, but…celebrities are just unattainable fantasies."

"Wasn't Inuyasha just a fantasy of yours some time ago?" Rin teased the older girl.

Kagome blushed as she recalled a majority of her fantasies which included the silver-haired hanyou. "It's different. Inuyasha isn't famous."

"Not with the general female population, but he's the rude and arrogant Dr. McHunky Hanyou whose clinic has ties to major pharmaceutical companies and the such, paving the way in reproductive and conception practices."

"Rin?" Kagome asked, confused by where the girl got all of that information.

"Yeah?" she smiled a toothy grin at her boss.

"What kind of drugs are you on?"

"None. Why?"

"Oh, nothing. Never mind." Kagome shook her head. That was just the way Rin was: insightful and a bit spacey at the same time.

"I'm going to go ahead and make my rounds now."

"Sure." Kagome watched as Rin sauntered off with her tray to take and deliver drink orders. It was still early for dinner, as per the schedule that was determined by both her and an associate of K.O.N.

Kagome returned to the kitchen to check once again on the progress of all of the food. So far, everything had gone on without any hitches. She hoped the rest of the night went as smoothly. With only a half-hour more until the pre-planned time to serve dinner, Kagome rallied her troops as she went to help them herself with the final preparations.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

So, he was a little slow. He didn't even open up his invitation because he wasn't planning on going at all. But his brother knew. Now he understood a little of Sesshoumaru's persistence about getting him into showing up to this thing. Now that he was here, what was he supposed to do?

Sesshoumaru vanished the moment they stepped inside the building. Without having the bastard around, Inuyasha was lost in a sea of strangers. He didn't know where to go or where he wanted to go other than out the exit. But he couldn't do that, not now. He was there, at _KenSen_, meaning he should probably go look for Kagome and explain why he was there.

It was so easy to find her. He smirked at the scent that radiated from her, proud of the job he did. Now any male with a heightened sense of smell would know that she was his. It wasn't about ownership per se, like owning a pair of shoes, but it was about togetherness. She belonged to him like how a hat belonged on a head. Dumb analogy, but that's how he thought about it. There were some tricky ownership-like laws that existed in youkai groups, but that was for mated and bonded pairs which hardly anyone adhered to in these modern times.

As he approached the kitchen, he could hear her handing out instructions as they finalized the food. Sesshoumaru had mentioned something about the food. Perhaps she had some youkai dishes prepared for the party. That didn't matter to him as he couldn't stomach raw meat. He hoped she had some ramen hidden away in that kitchen of hers.

Kagome glanced up when Shippo whispered 'he's here' softly in her ear. She was expecting one of her celebrities, not her boyfriend. Stopping what she was doing, Kagome hurried out of the kitchen, ordering her kitchen staff to be ready in five minutes.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing here? I thought you had that thing tonight."

"I do. This is it?"

"Your clinic is represented by K.O.N.?"

"I guess," he shrugged. "I don't handle any of this shit."

"Well, that's fine and dandy, but you have some explaining to do."

"What did I do?"

Kagome grabbed him by the tie hanging loosely around his neck and pulled him into her office, closing the door halfway behind her to give them some privacy. Once she was sure no one could hear them, she had to ask.

"Why do I…smell?"

"Keh, you always smell of something."

"No, I get that. Why do I…stink?"

"Who says you stink?"

"Shippo."

"He's a fox."

"I know that. What does that have to do with my new stench?"

"Foxes and dogs normally don't get along."

"There's more to it than that. If your brother was here, I'm sure he'd agree with Shippo."

"Probably."

"And it doesn't bother you?"

"Nope. I think you smell just fine."

"But I stink because you were jealous."

"No, it's not like that."

"Then explain to me how it really is."

Inuyasha decided not to answer. He turned away with his arms crossed against his chest. Kagome walked around him, wanting him to look in her eyes, forcing him to acknowledge her question and to respond to her. She wanted a straight answer from him.

"I'm waiting," she sang out as her heeled shoe tapped against the tiled floor.

"Does it really matter?" he asked trying to find a way out.

"Yes, I think it does."

"Too bad. It's none of your business."

"Wha…None of my…Of course it is! I'm the one who smells like I got a tongue lashing by a dog."

"So, you did."

"But…why?"

"Because…" was his simple reply.

"That is not an answer. If you don't answer I swear, I'll get you back."

Inuyasha took a step towards her, closing in on her. Before she had the time to retreat, he wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from escaping. "Is that a promise?" he asked, his voice low, the words rumbling through her body.

Kagome swallowed the lump rising in her throat. "Are you going to answer me or not?"

"Is that a promise?" he asked again, pulling her closer to his body so she could feel each word he spoke.

"You're not that lucky." She had to try to maintain some composure. There was no way she was going to let him win by being all sexy like that.

"It's not luck," he assured her.

"I want an answer."

"We don't always get what we want."

"I have my ways."

"I'm up to the challenge."

"Will you ever answer me?"

"Don't know."

Somehow, they inched closer together considering how close he held her against his body, their stubbornness clashing against each other in this little battle of theirs.

"Shippo says the food's ready—oh, am I interrupting?"

Kagome pushed herself away, taking a step back from Inuyasha so she could address Rin. "Have them set it up like I told them. I'll be there in a moment." Rin left, blushing as her glance met Inuyasha's scrutinizing gaze. "Looks like they can't do anything without me around."

Inuyasha slammed her against his body as his lips found hers, kissing her fiercely, promising her that the challenge was just beginning and that he was the one that was going to win, not her. He ran his claws down her exposed back, goosepimples rising in their wake. "We'll continue this later," his lips spoke against hers. Stepping away, he smirked at her before leaving her to finish her work. Kagome's eyes remained closed as her red lips parted in his absence.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

His clawed hands rested on top of the delicate foot of the champagne glass that he was drinking from. He was bothered by many things, most of which he had no control over. And those things that he did have control over, or that he thought he did, troubled him even more. For the first time he could recall, he was questioning the next step in his life.

The voices of Rin and Kagome reached his sensitive ears, so he turned his head to watch them. Kagome was giving instructions to Rin on how she and the other waitresses were going to serve the food. Rin just nodded her head with her trademark smile. Rin then waved at the chefs who were making their way up the stairs with trays and pans full of food that were going to be served tonight. His intense golden gaze never left the girl he had his eyes on.

_When did I start to care about her?_

He studied the way Kagome and Rin interacted not only with each other, but also with the other employees, which consisted of a mix of humans and demons. And from that he knew. He knew the exact moment when he saw the world and all of its inhabitants a little bit differently.

_Her_.

Thoughts of her always made him relive his past—from the time he was born, to all of the choices he made up to her and after her. He hated that she was the one who did this to him. She was nothing, nothing but a weak human female.

His father was the strongest of their kind, a natural leader with a wit and a temper that none could challenge. All of this made him a prime candidate to be mated with the best females, so that they could bear a perfect son. The child would lead the dog demons into the new century, revive the pack, and continue to be the dominant force in the demon world.

All of it was political. He could see that now. His father and mother mated, but never were bonded and never married by the human definition. The only thing that existed that connected his father and mother together was him. His parents lived in the same house during his youth, but as soon as he was of age, she moved out and life as he knew it was revealed to never really exist.

He ended up blaming both of them that he no longer had the ideal life. Perfection came from perfect families. His parents never loved one another and that made him incapable of it as well.

The blame shifted solely on his father the moment he met _her_. It was some whirlwind affair that ended up with a marriage and a mating that resulted with a permanent mark of their sin. An abomination that blemished the perfect world he was expected to usher in as the new leader of the Western Lands.

The moment his father chose a human female was the day his life was never the same. Those who had power said his father's relationship was simply an act of weakness and he was expected to step up and out from his father's shadow, the only being in the world he was afraid of. But he believed that his father was weakening and action needed to be taken as soon as possible.

No, he wasn't stupid enough to challenge his own father, someone else was though. It took them a while. A few years of constant struggle, an underground battle, and his father finally succumbed to death. Death was the only reason his father would listen to. Death was not his defeat. Leaving the woman he loved and the hanyou son he adored, that was his defeat.

He was still indifferent towards human and hanyou. They were insignificant, annoying creatures that he wouldn't tolerate. As he took a sip of his champagne, he watched the two raven-haired females that were the cause of his exploration of his past. Somehow his father knew. Damn, his father knew and he didn't tell him.

He'd already graduated from the university, as well as law school and was working for a law firm that specialized in youkai cases. He was proving himself to those that had power that he was someone that they should show respect to and fear. And if someone didn't, they would have to pay.

One day, during one of his days off, he heard a knock at his door. He was surprised to find _her_ standing there; tall, proud, and full of courage. Narrowing his eyes at her, he made no attempt to move aside and let her in.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on staying long," she said, already aware of his feelings for her.

"Izayoi," he hissed her name, not knowing if it brought her pain or not, but she was the one that was the cause of his imperfect life.

"So, you do know my name. I for sure thought that you would prefer to call me by the other names I am called among both of our kinds."

"I don't have time for you," he sneered, starting to close the door on her.

She stopped it with her hand and her foot. "Please," she pleaded, her strength crumbling, "I don't have much time."

Her change in demeanor and her scent…why hadn't he noticed her scent before? It was tainted somehow, different. He had meet Izayoi briefly when his father was in the initial stages of courting her. Something about her was off. His curiosity started to get the best of him.

"One minute."

"Thank you," she whispered, smiling grimly. "You have a brother, Inuyasha. He's going to be alone in this world and you are all he has. I ask of you, please look after him."

Her intense gaze bothered him. It was fierce. She was the woman his father loved, not his mother. She was the whore that destroyed any semblance of consistency in his life. And that half-breed piece of shit only remained to remind him that his life wasn't what it was destined to be.

His response was simple. He slammed the door on her face, locked it and walked away. She didn't stand there pounding on the door or crying, but walked away. And that was the last he heard from her. He figured she would be after the inheritance, to give Inuyasha what actually belong to him. All of that was tied up and it'd take an act of the _kami_ for him to ever receive it.

It was no more than three days later he received word of Izayoi's death. Izayoi ended up putting her half-breed son in the care of some old youkai that was a friend of his father. There was a small service on her behalf. Sesshoumaru ended up standing next to her dead body, an overwhelming need to know what killed her. An assassination plot by his kind? It couldn't be, as he had heard nothing. Nothing got past him. No, something else killed her.

He stood over her. It was true that dead people do look like they are just sleeping. Her long raven hair spilt over the white kimono she had been dressed in. But she didn't look peaceful. Of course she didn't. She left behind her only child with no family that would fully accept him.

Her death, actually her cause of death, was what he wanted to know. That smell, the one he scented on her three days ago, he still didn't know what it was. Right now that, that scent, was suffocating him. This wasn't the stench of death permeating from her body. This…it was unfamiliar to him.

"Sorry, I didn't know anyone was here. Izayoi had few friends or family in these final days." Sesshoumaru turned to see an elderly youkai walking up to the deceased. "I know who you are. I must say that I'm surprised you of all youkai are here."

"What was her killer?"

"No one knows. The best youkai doctors attended to her out of fear your father would curse them from his place in hell. It wasn't anything they knew of."

"This human knew she was going to die."

"Yes. She did. And she knew why."

"I demand an explanation."

"Even if I could give you one, I doubt _you_ would understand."

"Do not presume my capabilities."

"I can since you have no experience in the manner. However, since you are here…you smell it, don't you? This scent that is similar to despair." Sesshoumaru nodded just enough for the old man to catch it. "Izayoi was lonely. She lost the mate she had loved more than life itself, and to him she was bonded. She lived as long as she could for Inuyasha, but her love for your father was too much and it was killing her."

"That's impossible."

"Of course you don't understand. You've never loved. It was something your father regretted about your upbringing. Raised in a house with no emotions, you've developed none for yourself. Well, except your anger and hatred."

Sesshoumaru had heard enough of this nonsense. Turning, he left, never to bother with any of it again. Someone dying of a broken heart, it was preposterous. Loneliness wasn't a killer.

The years passed and he heard nothing about Inuyasha. Not that he cared. Not hearing anything about the whelp was the same as denying Inuyasha's existence. He continued to grow in the ranks at the law firm he worked for, living life as he was expected to.

Rumblings about a brilliant and daring hanyou-doctor that challenged any obstacle began to surface. That hanyou was part dog demon, the rumors stated. There was only one that Sesshoumaru knew of. Inuyasha had risen up and was carving his path. Comments about how much they said Inuyasha resembled his father were hard to ignore.

Sesshoumaru couldn't ignore Inuyasha for much longer. The hanyou's research and unorthodox methods gained in popularity with anyone willing to do whatever it took to be blessed with a child. And it wasn't just humans who needed and sought out his help, pure youkai went to him, only as a last resort.

Inuyasha's practice was growing so fast, the hanyou was having a hard time filling much-needed positions to meet the demands of those that needed help. Another lawyer in his firm was thinking about going to work in the new legal department at the Izayoi Clinic. The lawyer was asked if he'd stoop so low to work for a pathetic half-breed.

The lawyer's response was simple and a statement of the times: "What does it matter anymore these days?"

These days were different. There was more tolerance amongst the races, at least on the surface. Some still held onto the grudge from the ancient days when humans and youkai were constantly at war. Battles were now carried out in courtrooms and on the floor of the Diet.

Oh how he hated his cursed curiosity. It was part of his nature to know everything about everything so he could control it all. Leaving his job at the prestigious law firm he started out at, he practically hired himself as the head counsel for Inuyasha's clinic. He would have to admit that the look on Inuyasha's face when he arrived was priceless.

The power he gained at Inuyasha's clinic was greater that what he had earned at the law firm. He was now a part of the legal system, medicine, politics, and scientific research, the driving forces of this new era, the era he was still expected to lead.

Tipping his head back, he took a swing of the last of his champagne. He left the empty glass setting on the bar as he made his way over to the human girl who was challenging his beliefs. Is this what Izayoi did to his father?

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Everyone was in their positions. All of the display meals were set up so her patrons could order from those. Kagome was no longer concerned about who was famous, but was completely focused on serving the best food she could. This was a huge opportunity for her and the restaurant, as well as her students and employees.

Once it was announced that food was ready, there was a mad rush to be first in line. Kagome had prepared a Mediterr-Asian-themed feast full of stir fries, soups, salads, and desserts that were an infusion of Mediterranean and Asian ingredients and spices. The smells of the foods were warm and gentle. Everything was colorful and, what Kagome wouldn't openly admit to anyone, healthy.

There were a few tables set up according to food type: appetizers along with the soups and salads for those not ready for a larger meal, the main course, and then dessert. The appetizer table was covered with servings of simple foods that could be a starter, or a full meal, such as Thai fish cakes with a sweet chili sauce and an antipasto platter that was the bulk of the pre-meal eats.

There were two soups to choose from, the two soups she had settled on out of the various choices she had. One was a Spanish broccoli and almond soup and the other was a Tuscan white bean and garlic soup. Kagome decided to serve the broccoli and almond soup chilled to compliment the warmer weather they were having, as summer was quickly advancing upon them.

Lastly for the appetizers were a couple of salads. Kagome had a lot of fun with the salads. She quickly got past the so-called fact that all salads had to contain lettuce. Once she put the lettuce away, she was amazed by the endless possibilities of the salads she could create. The hard part was deciding on just a few.

She selected one salad that was based on the traditional lettuce, which was a pancetta and walnut salad. For some reason, she was going through a 'nut' phase. Reports about nuts being full of vital omega-3 fatty acids that didn't take a toll on the environment like consuming fish appealed to her.

The other two salads she decided on were Gado Gado, a decision based solely on its name, and an Asian noodle salad. She wanted to try to appeal to everyone's differing tastes though she knew someone would not be impressed with the lack of choices, but there was nothing she was going to do about it.

The main course table was being headed up by Shippo, who was proud of the turnout of everything. He told Kagome that they had to have curry. And she agreed, allowing him to choose the curry recipe. He came up with two, one with meat and one without. The Thai red chicken curry was his meat dish and he had a lentil, pea, and potato curry for those who decided they didn't want to consume animals.

Kagome chose three more main dishes to finish the course off. There was the honey-lemon chicken with almond stir fry, a Moroccan stew, and, lastly, ginger soy salmon with soba noodles. She figured she needed something that came from Japan for those that were afraid of the more exotic foods.

Rin manned the dessert table, her decision. Kagome thought she'd want to mingle with the guests, clearing up empty plates, but for some reason, she said she didn't feel like it. She had asked to be positioned in one place other than behind the bar. Rin could handle dishing out the two desserts, the mango dish and the yogurt one.

Kagome was polite to everyone who filed through, ignoring any snide comments about the lack of selection. She didn't want to tell them that she was limited to only a few dishes by their hosts.

She got all nervous when Inuyasha made his way to the main course table, which she had to help Shippo with. He had decided to wait until the end, so that it wasn't so crowded. Her face turned red as she averted her eyes to the food in front of her.

"The chicken shit," he ordered.

Kagome sighed as a smile grew wide on her face. Grabbing a plate, she scooped up a hearty helping of rice, plus some, and dumped it onto the square plate. Then she slopped on the sweet and sour chicken dish, trying to make it look decent.

"Inuyasha…there you are."

Inuyasha turned around to see the last person he thought he would see here, walking toward him with a friendly smile on her face.

Kagome's mouth dropped, as well as the second helping of stir fry, which fell down the front of her dress and landed with a plop on the top of her shoes. She ignored the mess to make sure Inuyasha's plate was ready first.

"Long time no see," Kagura greeted the surprised hanyou. "I'm glad you could actually make it. Ah, Miss Higurashi, everything here is perfect. This is my assistant Kanna, the one you talked to on the phone."

Kagome forced out a small smile at the pale young woman. "I'm glad you approve." She handed the plate of food to Inuyasha who suddenly barely recognized her existence.

"What do you want?" he tried to politely ask of her.

"Teruo Fujii is here and wants to speak with you about one of the papers you authored."

"Really? From U. of Tokyo's Institute of Industrial Science?"

"Yes. He's been specifically asking for you."

"Keh, of course I'll talk to him."

Kagura wrapped an arm around his and lead Inuyasha away from the food, away from Kagome, without a word. Kanna remained silent as she turned to follow her boss out toward the balcony where this Teruo Fujii was.

"Oh Kagome," Rin whined as she ran over to help out her boss. "What happened?"

"I…I got distracted," she replied as she stepped back to inspect the damage.

"Your dress…oh, your shoes…" Rin bent down and wiped up the food Kagome had dropped onto the floor.

"It's okay. I can clean it up later. This is a restaurant after all," she softly chuckled, trying to hide her true feelings. Kagome glanced up and searched the crowd to seek out Inuyasha. She found him shaking hands and bowing with some guy, Kagura still next to him. Inuyasha and Kagura both sat down across from this Teruo person. She couldn't stop it.

_That's her…the really pretty one…I didn't know that this was her party._

Kagome sat down since everyone had passed through to get food and was now sitting down enjoying their meal. She reached over and plucked a piece of the honey-lemon chicken out of the pan and popped it into her mouth.

"Kagome, I'm going to go and get the other pans of the dessert."

"Sure Rin."

Kagome looked back outside as Inuyasha enthusiastically conversed with Kagura and Teruo.

_I'm probably overreacting, but…_

_I know he wouldn't. It's just sex…_

Why was her head doing this to her? Inuyasha wouldn't be petty like that, leave her because she—they—hadn't had sex yet. She groaned. He scent marked her. She knew his secret. But did he once scent mark Kagura? Did she know his secret?

Kagome couldn't stop eating as her doubts ate at her. This royally sucked. How could this happen? And he ignored her. Didn't say one word to her and instead he let himself be lead off by this woman…this incredibly sexy woman.

"I had assumed the food was for the guests."

"Oh, Sesshoumaru…Oops. Oh well, there's another pan or so in the kitchen."

"I figured Inuyasha would still be throwing a tantrum about the lack of ramen at this buffet."

"No, he's busy."

"Busy?" That was odd considering Inuyasha didn't want to come in the first place.

"Yeah…there…" Kagome pointed outside. She shivered when she heard a low, frightening growl emanating from the overbearing dog demon. "Is there something wrong?"

"Kagura."

"That's her name? Oh, I…I didn't know that."

"As long as she keeps her distance…"

"Her distance? From him? Or from you?"

"That woman is a menace."

"Really? I don't know her. I've seen her a couple of times, though, at the clinic."

"Of course. She was trying to goad my brother into doing very illegal things."

"Il-illegal things?" When was sex with a hanyou illegal? Unless…No, she didn't want to think about that. That was Eri's job. That was what Eri not only thought about, but actually did.

"He hasn't told you?" Sesshoumaru arched a brow at her at this newest bit of information.

"Why would he have?"

That was a good answer. Something they shared, the brothers, a need to not to share anything with anyone else. They both valued their privacy.

"Kagura is the 'K' in K.O.N."

"Wow. I…um…I only talked to her assistant, Kanna, and only on the phone."

"She represented the clinic."

"Represented?" Kagome asked, stressing the past tense use of the word.

"K.O.N. is a public relations firm consisting of the three CEO's, Kagura, Onigumo, and Naraku. A ruthless bunch that is the best at spinning anything in your favor as long as the price is paid."

"I don't really know. The school has its own firm that takes care of that for us."

"We had a relationship, one that was against the rules of the company…employees dating clients."

"Wait…you and _her_ dated?"

"Unfortunately."

"What happened?" she asked, unsure if she was going to get a reply. She was more amazed with how forthcoming he was about all of this. There was no reason for him to tell her who Kagura was and what kind of relationship she had with anyone.

"We were incompatible. She would not submit to me. I terminated our relationship. However, she would not accept her shortcomings or my demands, and tried to use deception to trap me in a relationship. That's when she dragged Inuyasha into the mess.

"Her devious plan included impregnating herself, trying to bind me into a loveless relationship with a child that I was not willing to conceive. She played off bits and pieces of Inuyasha's past that she was aware of to coerce him to use her abilities to make her with child."

"That's…uh…psychotic…"

"Yes. Somehow, he got her to cease and desist that plot." Rin walking up to the bar caught his eye. He may have failed once, but not twice. "Excuse me."

Kagome watched Sesshoumaru dash off. Boy was she way off. How was she supposed to know? At least she had saved herself from the embarrassment of accidentally accusing him of canoodling with his ex, or something along those lines.

She served those that returned for seconds, and even thirds, trying to ignore Kagura hanging all over Inuyasha as he discussed something with that guy. Was Kagura trying to go after Sesshoumaru again?

Their talk ended and Inuyasha returned to the food area where Kagome was sitting next to the window, staring out into the city, never noticing his return. Somehow she got stuck with guard duty while Shippo worked in the kitchen and Rin…well, she didn't know what happened to Rin.

"Oi, anything left?"

"Yeah, there's a little bit of everything," Kagome replied, turning to face the hanyou.

"The chicken shit is good."

"Inuyasha, that's not nice," Kagura purred as she draped herself against his body. "We're paying them good money for this."

Kagome opened her mouth to make a remark, but quickly closed it. She was right. They were paying damn good money for this party. She scooped up a serving of rice and the 'chicken-shit' as he called it onto his plate.

"We've heard nothing but good things about the food Miss Higurashi."

"Thank you…um…I don't think we were ever properly introduced."

"I'm Kagura."

"Ah shit. I forgot to get his e-mail address." With his plate in hand, he dashed off back out onto the balcony leaving Kagura and Kagome alone.

"I see you and Inuyasha are still together."

"St-still?"

"I apologize, what is this…a year later, for barging into his office that day. I was too caught up in my own business to realize I was intruding on yours."

"Um…Inuyasha and I just started dating a little more than a month ago. He was my doctor back then."

"Huh, I could've sworn that there had to be something going on between the two you back then. Oh well. What do I know? I mean, Inuyasha never hugs his patients. I've tried to get him to do it for show, for the friendly image, but nope."

"It was a really bad day."

"Bad day for you, good day for him."

"What makes you say that?"

Kagura tapped her nose. "I'm a wind demoness and I know an attraction when I see one. The hug was a dead give away Inuyasha was totally head over heels for you."

"Oh I …I didn't know."

"I guess it all worked out somehow since you two are together. Well, I need to go and mingle. Kanna will contact you later next week to work out the final bill."

"Nice meeting you."

Kagura didn't look back and she started to make her way through the crowd, giggling and flirting with her clients. Inuyasha made his way back to Kagome, the food on his plate halfway eaten. "I can't stand her."

"Who? Kagura?"

"Yes. She was such a pain in my ass because she couldn't get it through her thick skull."

"Your brother explained it to me."

"Good," Inuyasha replied as he sat down in the empty chair next to Kagome. "Because I didn't want to. It was his problem that got dumped in my lap."

"Everything seems okay now. They can be in the same room and still be civil." Kagome scooped herself small servings of the available food as she was famished from being surrounded by the succulent scents all day long.

"That's because Sesshoumaru didn't have time to even acknowledge her. He was busy."

"Busy? He hung out at the bar for the most part."

"Keh, you weren't the only one who had to be protected."

"What? Protected? Against who?"

"Other males."

"Oh, so you _are_ admitting to something," Kagome accusingly mocked the hanyou, pointing her fork at him as if he had been busted.

"No. I'm explaining something about my brother."

"Your brother. Who was he protecting then?"

"Rin."

"Rin? My Rin?"

"Not yours anymore. She reeked of him. All over. I'm surprised I could keep my food down." Inuyasha glanced down at his empty plate. Going outside to talk to that professor was a good idea at the time. The smell of his brother on Rin and then Rin being so close to Kagome, he felt nauseated. He secretly took another sniff in Kagome's direction and found that she still had the scent she left the Shrine with this morning, though it had worn off from the hours that had passed.

"So Rin is seeing Sesshoumaru?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her. Sometimes… "Aren't you paying any attention?"

"But he's so…"

"I know." He closed his eyes and nodded his head at her.

"And she's like…"

"Yup."

"When?"

Opening his eyes again, he looked over at Kagome, shrugging his shoulders at her. "Fuck if I know. I just know that male inu-youkai scent mark their females during the spring season."

"Well I know that."

"What?"

"It's why you wouldn't let me take that second shower this morning."

"Keh, whatever. I said inu-youkai, not inu-hanyou. Big difference."

"Oh, and what are these differences?" she teased.

"Don't worry about that. They're subtle."

"Why won't you tell me about it?"

"I can't."

"You can't because it's an inu-youkai…eh…inu-hanyou secret or for some other reason?"

"My father wasn't around to teach this stuff to me." His eyes darted to the ground and then out the window behind him. Talking about this father was a touchy subject for him, though he didn't understand why. He didn't know the guy personally, from what he could remember. The only memories he had of his father were the stories his mother told him. And even then, it was so long ago, how many of those memories his mother shared were even correct.

"Oh, right. I'm sorry."

"Like you would know."

"So, basically you really are just going by your instincts."

"Yeah."

"Does Rin really smell?"

"Oh yeah."

Kagome evilly grinned. She was going to get him. Leaning towards him, she whispered, "Who stinks more?"

"She does. You smell pretty good to me though."

"I think I'm finally getting it."

"There's nothing to get."

"Well, I'm new to this whole youkai-hanyou thing…dating one…"

"Keh, didn't think I was that complicated."

"Kagome. Kagome!"

Kagome gazed around the room, trying to find who it was that was screaming out her name. The way they were yelling it, the worry in their voice, it got Kagome scared. "Rin, what is it? Something happen?"

"Do you need me?"

"D-do I n-need you? Uh…maybe…I think…what?"

"Anymore? The kitchen crew is still here to clean up and stuff."

"Oh, for tonight. Sure, you can go. Just, uh, let Shippo know you're leaving so he doesn't come whining to me later on."

"Thank you so much. I'll make it up to you!" She ran off meeting up with Sesshoumaru at the head of the stairs. She beamed at him with that toothy grin of hers, explaining something to him. He nodded at her, placing his hand on the small of her back to escort her down the stairs.

"Wow, they really are together. I wonder what they talk about."

"Probably impresses her with his knowledge of art and opera."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

"Oi, can you leave?"

"Now?"

"No, tomorrow. Yes 'now.'"

"Maybe. I should stay…but Shippo did want some practice with responsibility and with Bankotsu still hanging around…Let me go talk to the both of them really quick. I'm sure I can leave." Kagome bounded out of her chair and headed over to the bar where Bankotsu was working with Jakotsu on keeping the guests liquored up.

Inuyasha couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that his brother had already fucked Rin. Not that it explained why Sesshoumaru was so calm and he on the other hand was tempted to drink an entire barrel of sake just to pass out and miss the entire spring season. The heat from being in heat was burning him up. He needed relief, but he didn't want to hurt Kagome either. However, he was getting dangerously close to losing it.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's notes:** Okay, finished. Wow, this was a strange chapter for me. I really didn't think it would be this long. But I'm not complaining. The Kagura thing is now explained. Also, a little insight into Sesshoumaru and his past, and how he came to be where he is at in Inuyasha's life. And, a little Rin-Sesshoumaru.

I do have a lot to explain regarding this chapter in the ways of defining things. For all of the food mentioned, you can find the recipes already up on my LiveJournal. Mediterr-Asian is a real food category, or at least it's trying to be. With all of the brouhaha about obesity and diseases and how it's important to eat healthy, Mediterr-Asian is a food movement that combines the healthy aspects of Mediterranean and Asian into one category. It looks good. I haven't cooked much of it, yet…If you have any questions about the food, post the question at my LiveJournal, since I have the recipes there.

Propofol is a common type of anesthesia used in hospitals. Anyone gone under general anesthesia was probably injected with this drug.

Inuyasha speaks with a man named Teruo Fujii, who is a real man who works at the University of Tokyo's Institute of Industrial Science. According to the article I am using for this, his team devised a chip that can stimulate the womb environment. How I am referencing it within the story is that Inuyasha wrote a paper theorizing ways to create a better environment for eggs fertilized in a dish. I didn't feel it necessary to include any more than his name within the context of the story.

There are three more Japanese male names mentioned in the chapter. They are real actors. Fujiwara Tatsuya played Light in the Death Note movies. He also appeared in Battle Royale, but I think more people would be familiar with Death Note. The other two actors appeared in Japanese drama shows. Fujiki Naohita played the actor in the show 'Love Revolution' and Fukuyama Masahara starred in 'Bijo ka Yajuu', which translates into 'Beauty or Beast'.

Pancetta is something I don't think is defined within the recipes of my LJ account, so I am putting it here. It's bacon. The bacon we eat in the US is salted and then smoked. Pancetta is Italian bacon that is salt cured and spiced and then it is dried for three months. Yummy.

I've already started working on Chapter 26, but it'll probably be another slow process. I think I'm going to really need to take my time. There's going to be a lot of research for that one. I've got a list of things that I need to look into so that'll probably take me some extra time.

Thank you all so much for your patience as I am basically posting one chapter a month.

roshully


	26. Chapter 26

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Twenty and SixThe Storm**

Kagome walked out of the familiar brick building, stepping out into the warm outdoors. Today was different than most days as she wasn't at her three places of residence: the Shrine, the market, or the restaurant.

As she walked down the paths she used to walk along several years ago, she wondered if Eri was around. Kagome felt herself needing to talk to the very easy-going woman. Maybe she could help Kagome out with a little problem she found herself having.

"Hello? Eri?" Kagome called out, opening the door to her friend's office. While Eri worked on her dissertation, she taught sexuality classes at the university. It was one of the most popular courses on campus. Eri taught a basic sexuality class that many took to fulfill their human studies elective, as well as other courses for those who needed something for their particular major.

"Hey, Kagome, what a surprise! Come on in."

Kagome entered the tidy office, closing the door behind her, requesting privacy for the matter she wanted to discuss. "I'm not bothering you, am I?"

"Nah, just putting together topics for the finals coming up."

"Is that hard?"

"No, not really. I try to scour the news and see what's currently going on. That helps. I like making the questions seem really impossible to answer."

"Oh, like what?"

"Uh, well, I don't have it worded exactly how I want it to sound yet, but…um…how will current Japanese views on sexuality allow the country to confront comfort women?"

"Wow, I'm glad you're not my teacher! At least you're not asking them to compare and contrast comfort women with modern prostitution."

"Kagome, that's a great one. I like making my students take positions on their beliefs."

"I hated those types of papers. Well, I mean, I know what my beliefs are, but they always asked to give supporting evidence and that's not always easy."

"That's mandatory when writing papers. So, what brings you to campus?"

"The career fair."

"Seeking or speaking?"

"Speaking. I'm the unofficial spokeswoman for the culinary institute. And it helped that I graduated from here."

"That's cool. I don't get invited to those things."

Kagome grinned. "For obvious reasons."

"Because if people found out you can do what I do for a job, we'd have no civil servants."

"That's true."

"Never underestimate the power of sex."

"Eri…"

"Mmmm?"

"I…I'm scared."

"Scared? Scared of what? Who?"

"Sex. I'm scared of sex. There's so much I'm afraid of. I think…I think that's why Inuyasha and I haven't…"

"Kagome…What about it is scary?"

Kagome slouched dejectedly in the chair she was sitting in. "I don't know. Everything?"

"Yeah, that helps," Eri smiled, rolling her eyes. "Just start somewhere, anywhere."

Kagome took a deep breath and let it all spill out. "What if I can't orgasm? What if I'm not good enough? What if I can't get wet enough? Or not at all? Is it going to hurt? Am I expected to know positions? Am I supposed to wear anything special? Will it be…boring…Is he going to expect me to perform oral sex? I've never done that before. Will he perform oral sex on me? What does that feel like? What about anal? Eri, I barely know what a real penis looks like. Are hanyou any different? How do inu-hanyou actually do it? What if he has…has kinks?" Kagome looked up at Eri when she was finished with her first round of questions as she waited for answers.

"Doggie-style, I presume." Eri chuckled at herself. "Sorry, bad joke. But Kagome, good questions by the way, but, all girls…well, a majority of girls, have those exact same questions anytime they start to think about having sex with a new partner. I'm sure he's thinking similar questions. What if he gets too excited and ejaculates before you've had yours? Will he frighten you because he isn't fully human? What if you don't like it? What if he can't make you orgasm? Should he do oral or not? You might like anal and he doesn't know that and then doesn't know if he should proceed or not. He is probably worried that he might hurt you which he most likely doesn't want to do."

"Guys are really insecure after all, aren't they?"

"Eh, they aren't that much different than us. They just tend to deal with it in a completely different manner."

"How do I overcome all of these fears about sex?"

"You really want to have sex with him?"

"I think so."

"Sorry, but you won't be able to conquer these fears until you are absolutely sure. I can't tell you how many woman, and even men, in all races that have some lingering doubts during their sexual experiences and then wonder why it wasn't so good."

"So, you're saying that once I decide whether or not I'm truly ready for sex, only then can I figure this out?"

"Yup. Kagome, take it from me, sex can be a scary thing, but you have to be comfortable with yourself before you can tackle the scariness of it. I know my body inside and out. I stay healthy and clean, personal hygiene is an absolute must. I know what turns me on and I know my boundaries."

"Is sex really this complicated?"

"Sometimes. I've totally avoided all the emotional and psychological impacts and effects of sex. You'll have to confer with Dr. Sango on that side of it. But, I do know that the physical and mental are really connected. Because I know my own personal sexual preferences, I enjoy mostly all of the sexual encounters I engage in."

"That's a lot."

"I know. I've had super great ones and ones that I could do without, but never has it been so bad it made me ever question it. You…especially you, you do not want to have sex with Inuyasha and then later start to question it because then you'll end up regretting it."

"You've had sex with a hanyou, what's that like? I mean, is there anything I should know or expect?"

"Well, because of their demon heritage, they have a lot of stamina. Also, it's spring, meaning they are a bit more…mmmm…carnal…primal…But I can't give you any specifics. Each demon heritage has its own mating rituals that many still follow to this day."

"Isn't that what you're studying?"

"Mmmm….yeah…kinda…it's a part of it. Did…did Hojo do something to you during any of your sexcapades to make you so worried now?

Kagome shook her head. "Nothing more than what I told you when I confessed everything to all of you after I broke up with him. 'Wham, bam, thank you Miss Kagome.' I think he did thank me one time afterwards. That was awkward."

"From what you tell us about Inuyasha, I doubt he'll be anything like Hojo."

"Er…is that good or bad?"

"You can tell me when you fuck him."

"What? No. I…I'm not going to talk about it."

"Ah, why not?"

"Eri, I'm not you."

"Well, tell me if it was any good or not at least."

"My one and only other sexual partner was Hojo and compared to that, just kissing Inuyasha is a whole lot better."

"Then what do you have to worry about? He seems more than capable of pleasuring you beyond anything you've ever experienced."

"I hope so," Kagome sighed out. "I would hate it if I…I'd have to give up on men all together then."

Eri laughed out. "Nothing wrong with women."

"I don't think I could do it with them."

"There's always other options."

"Thanks Eri." Kagome stood up. "I better get back."

"Kagome?"

"Yeah?"

"How you feel about Inuyasha will impact your first time with him. Maybe, instead of looking at the mechanics of your fears, check out your feelings. I know how you are. _You_ can orgasm just fine on your own so…think about that."

"Okay, thanks. I will."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome nibbled on her bottom lip as she traveled up in the elevator carrying two large sacks filled with groceries for tonight's dinner. She was so nervous; she was already making herself sick. Her hands were clammy and the muscles in her stomach were tying themselves into impossible knots, like those long telephone cords that can never be untangled. And she was just in the elevator.

She only had lunch with Inuyasha two times that week. Wednesday after lunch, he had to fly to Beijing for a conference. He told her he would be home late Friday night and that dinner was still expected to occur Saturday night at his place. And so Wednesday after lunch, until today, she thought about what to wear and what to cook for this occasion.

Eri wasn't the only person she ended up talking to. Normally, she wasn't the type to seek out advice as she was the one who often gave it. But she had no advice for herself because she had basically zero experience in the matter.

She called Yuka Wednesday night. Yuka said what Kagome expected her feminist friend to share. Kagome was thankful that she refrained from telling Yuka that Inuyasha was in heat. Yuka's advice was to make sure that Kagome was in charge, that in the end it was her decision. Kagome explained that they had already agreed on that. Inuyasha earned some points with Yuka for that.

Ayumi's advice was predictable as well. The married mother of two wished Kagome a sweet and loving experience that they would both cherish together. Despite being part demon, Inuyasha did have his softer, tenderer moments as she recalled the night in the restaurant when he visited her and she ended up cutting her foot. Ayumi was the opposite of Yuka. At least she got the most extreme opinions.

Kagome saved talking to Sango and Ayame last, but was convinced that they were told about Kagome's search for advice ahead of time as they both had somewhat prepared speeches to give her. Not that she minded though.

Talking with Ayame was really important to her because she was a demon and easily shared things she could expect from Inuyasha, but, at the same time, warned Kagome that because she wasn't a dog demon herself, she didn't know for sure what it would be like. Ayame's last words played out in the front of Kagome's mind: He'd never hurt you.

And then she talked to Sango. She found that to be rather difficult as Sango was not only her psychologist at one point, but because she was Inuyasha's friend. Kagome trusted Sango not to share any of this with Inuyasha, which helped her to be more open with the doctor.

Sango didn't say much and, instead, only repeated the sound advice that the other girls had said. Kagome left Sango's unsure of how her friend felt about her and Inuyasha's possible union. Maybe Sango's whole point was to just see what would happen. That no matter what advice they could give her, it would end up being between Kagome and Inuyasha.

By the time she finished sorting through all of the advice tossed her way, she arrived onto his floor. Kagome stepped off the elevator and slowly walked down the carpeted hallway glancing at the numbers on the doors until she found the one that Inuyasha said was his.

_Sheesh, he could've just told me it was the one on the end._

She noticed that the door to the stairwell was to the right and what she assumed to be the door to another apartment was on her left. Closing her eyes, she took in a deep breath and then slowly let it out. She calmed down only just a little bit. Reaching over, she pressed the doorbell button before taking a step back to wait.

Kagome pressed her lips together, rocking back and forth on her heels as she semi-patiently waited for the door to open. They hadn't agreed on a time, so she hoped she wasn't too early. There was no way she wanted to trek back to the Shrine and then try coming back again.

"Hey," a voice interrupted her thoughts. Kagome looked up and then lost her breath. There he stood and she was lost. She sheepishly smiled when she realized how badly she was gawking at him. She looked like a complete idiot. She was good at doing that.

Inuyasha stepped off to the side and motioned for her to come in. Once inside, he closed and locked the door behind her. "Closet's there, for your shoes."

Kagome nodded as she stepped out of her heels, shrinking down a few inches. When she looked up, Sango was right, there was no way anyone could see what his place looked like from the entrance alone, considering the way the place was set up.

"Gimme that," he demanded, pulling the grocery bags from her hands. He set them down on the wooden floor in the hallway.

"Uh…" Kagome started to protest. She had good food in those bags.

Inuyasha took a hold of her hand and yanked her down the hallway. "You probably want the tour."

Kagome tried to nod, but found herself being jerked forward rather awkwardly. Her feet stumbled against the cool wooden floor as she scrambled to catch up with the hanyou. He was always in such a hurry. His constant rushing around intimidated her, though she couldn't pinpoint her exact reason for feeling such a way.

Kagome took her first peek at his place and into whom Inuyasha was as a person…er…hanyou. The color of the walls was that of milk with a tint of coffee mixed in. It was bright, but not blinding, something she hated about white walls. Blocks of watercolor paintings decorated the smooth expanse of the flat plane; paintings with calm scenes of forests and meadows, like a place of fantasy, or of a time long ago.

"Living area," he quietly spoke as he motioned to the large space he pulled her into. He really was just a simple guy. There was a couch, a fire place that dangled down from the ceiling and hovered over the floor, a spiral staircase, and windows – lots and lots of windows that gave him what had to be one of the best views of Tokyo. "Stairs lead to the office which is also a spare bedroom and has my exercise equipment."

"Oh," she softly replied as her eyes trailed up the staircase, only to disappear into the ceiling.

"That's the bathroom through there." He pointed in some direction that she missed while gazing out the windows. He pulled her along to another area. "Dining area," he proclaimed rather annoyed.

The dining room was basically an extension of the living area with a square table and four chairs, one on each side. And, of course, more windows.

"Is that…" she started to ask, pointing out the tall windows behind the dining table.

"Yeah. Balcony."

"Really? It looks big."

"It is. There's plants and stuff out there too."

"Are you…green?"

"Keh. Not really. It just absorbs the nasty smells of the city so I can be outside."

"Do you wish that cities like this never existed?"

"No!" he said, his voice raising in volume. "It's because of progress that there's ramen!"

Kagome smiled. "Of course—what kind of world would we be living in if you didn't have your precious ramen?" Kagome teased the now-blushing hanyou.

"Feh, whatever."

"So, is this it then?"

"Pretty much."

"EH!" Kagome screeched. Inuyasha's ears slammed down against his skull, trying to dig their way into the safety of his thick silver hair. "I brought food to cook and …what? Is your microwave plugged up in your office? Do you even have food here?"

Inuyasha waited until she was done ranting. "Fuck. I do like to hear out of my ears, thank you very much."

"Did you expect takeout for dinner?"

"You do run a restaurant."

"So? What good does that do me at this very moment?" Her face was getting red as she huffed and puffed at the infuriating hanyou.

"Are you done yet?" He asked as he crossed his arms against his chest, shifting his weight as he stared her down.

"I came here to _cook_ you a nice meal and now I can't."

"And why not?" Was she going to actually cry?

"Hello? No kitchen."

"Hello?" he snapped back. "I have a damn kitchen."

"Eh?"

"Since you've got a cooking fetish, I was saving it for last."

"Oh…well…heh...okay then…"

He just shook his head at her. But he couldn't blame her as he did it on purpose. The way she got all riled up, it caused her eyes to sparkle and then there was that pink flush that flashed through her skin; it was beautiful. And her scent…it overloaded his nasal sensory receptors, dizzying his mind in a good, intoxicating way.

Grabbing a hold of her hand once again, he led her through the dining area to show her the kitchen. He basically assumed it would be a big deal to her and she seemed to be the type that would make it into a big deal. Yeah, he knew that sometimes he could be a real ass.

"Here. The _real_ reason you wanted to come over," he stated, dropping her hand from his.

"Wow…it's…"

"Not what you expected?"

"No, not at all. Quite the opposite."

The kitchen was as long as it was narrow, but still roomy enough to move about. The sink was against the wall with a window overlooking the balcony and the city. He had all of the basics she would expect to find in a kitchen: stove, oven, dishwasher, and fridge.

It was the feel of the room, the décor that really had her surprised and utterly speechless. Black granite countertops with stainless steal appliances. The cabinets were wood, something that was extremely expensive in Japan; they were stained a dark reddish-black color. It was peaceful, a feeling she loved in any kitchen.

"Do…do you actually use it?" she had to ask. It was too clean, too spotless, showing that maybe, it was more for show than for practicality.

"Yes."

"Really? But it looks so…unused."

"I can take care of myself," he shot out, taking some offense to her insinuations.

"I didn't mean to imply that…it's just…ramen only needs hot water."

"You…you think I can't cook?" He suddenly felt like challenging her, in order to prove himself to her.

"I wouldn't call instant ramen cooking."

"Oi, I _can_ cook."

"Right. I did make you buy that stuff to spruce up your ramen. Still…"

"Whatever."

"Well, I guess I'll just have to take your word." Kagome headed around the corner, back into the hallway to grab the bag of groceries she brought with her. Now that she knew he had at least a refrigerator, she could store the ingredients until it was time to cook.

"What are you making for me?" Inuyasha asked when Kagome returned to the kitchen, trying to sneak a peek and a whiff from the bags of groceries.

"Um, actually, I couldn't decide, so I bought enough ingredients for either dish. I suppose you could choose since it is your dinner."

"Sure."

"Okay, I decided against ramen because, well, I'm not you. I just can't eat it all of the time." Kagome started pulling the ingredients out as she began to describe what it was she wanted to cook.

"I wanted something simple, tasty, and filling, so, at first I thought _niku jyagu_ sounded good. Meat and potatoes. Then when I was going through my recipes, _shabu shabu_ caught my eye and for some reason, it wouldn't leave me alone. I stuck with common Japanese dishes instead of scaring you with some fancy foreign food."

"Both sound good. I don't care."

"Mmmm…_you_ could probably eat both, but I'm thinking I'm going to cook the _niku jyagu_. Potatoes sound really good today."

"Fine."

Kagome kept the ingredients she required for the beef dish out and put the ones for _shabu shabu_ back inside the bag. She put the unneeded groceries in his fridge, leaving another excuse to come over and 'fondle' his kitchen.

"Would you like to help?"

"What?" He was a bit shocked by her question.

"You can cook with me. It's a relatively easy dish. One reason why it's so popular."

"I told you I can cook," he countered back, seeing through her ruse.

"Yes, yes," she said, waving off his defensive statement.

"Keh, the old man taught me," Inuyasha confessed as he grabbed the small bag of potatoes. Kagome froze, stunned by his sudden confession. "Said it was important."

"You mean all of this time…ugh…I feel like the biggest idiot."

"I can't cook like the old man. Just simple shit for myself. Enough to survive. That was how he put it."

"It's a good skill to know. I hate how so many people consider cooking a woman's job. Then guys complain about living off convenience store bento boxes and the such."

"So, what do you want me to do?"

"Well, since you already have the potatoes in your hands, they need to be peeled and cut into chunks before we soak them in water."

"Easy enough." He pulled the potatoes out of the sack and held up his hand, stretching and bending his fingers, each one of his phalanges cracking.

Kagome looked up from the carrots she was attending to. Her eyes went wide as Inuyasha evilly grinned at the potatoes. "You…you're not…"

"What?"

"Your claws?"

"So?"

"Did you at least wash your hands?"

He blinked at her a few times. She was…she was going to let him actually use his claws to slice up the vegetables? That was slightly unexpected. Relaxing, he sighed as he walked over to the sink and washed his hands. When he finished, he held them up to her so she could inspect them. "See, clean now."

"Good. Who knows what those claws have scratched?"

"Keh, just my ass."

"Ew…grosser…" she giggled out at him, pushing him back over to his potatoes.

He laughed at her as he made his way over to the other side of the kitchen island to show the potatoes who was the master in his domain. They were going to be destroyed.

But first, Inuyasha left the kitchen and returned with some music playing softly in the background. He thought they would need some ambient sounds to fill in the quiet gaps.

"Do you ever cook for yourself?" Kagome asked as she sliced the carrots into razor thin pieces.

"Not really. I don't have the time. I order take out from the old man and then eat and work. Only on the days I decide to take off do I cook something up."

Kagome dumped the carrots into a bowl she found, filling it up with water. "Do you ever invite others over and cook for them?"

"No," he quickly replied.

"Oh," she softly said. She grabbed the onion and worked on peeling off the outer layers before cutting it up into long narrow pieces. "You should; you have a nice place."

"Have no reason to. Okay, next." He really didn't want to talk about having friendly social gatherings at his place. Kagome was the type that knew tons of people and invited them over for food and drinks. There were a lot of people at her graduation party.

"The beef. Cut it into thin slices."

"How thin?"

"Ummm…I don't know. Thin enough to cook quickly, but not thin enough to see through."

He shrugged as he quickly worked his claws through the beef fillets she had bought. Buying a lot of food had almost become a habit for Kagome. Inuyasha was always there when she planned recipes and meals. It wasn't like she cooked for demons in general, but more of a, 'Would this bother Inuyasha?' and other thoughts along that general consensus.

"Are your pans here?" Kagome asked as she pulled open some cupboards next to the stove. There they were. "Ah, found them. Mmm…skillet? Oh, here is one. And a pan. No…too small. This one will do now…a lid…"

Inuyasha stopped slicing the meat as soon as he noticed that Kagome was on all fours, on the floor, her ass waggling in front of him. His mouth fell open as he temporarily forgot that he needed to breathe. She still worked out and in those jeans…he gulped.

_Fuck…I'm in trouble…_

He closed his eyes tightly, hoping the lids could contain the scarlet blood that was quickly flooding into his golden pools. Not now…never…he never wanted her to bear witness to this part of him, especially not during the spring. He was so close to losing it. His lengthening claws dug into the tough muscle of the beef slab on the cutting board.

Deep slow breaths could calm him down. Why was she still on all fours? She just had to be in _that_ position of all positions; she could've taken a look for whatever it was she was searching for in any other position, but she chose this one. It was one of many submission positions, but this was the sexual submissive position that any inu-youkai bitch would assume when in the presence of her dominant male. And it was mating season.

_Dominate my bitch…dominate my bitch…_

"Do you even have any lids in here?" Kagome asked as she searched deeper within the caverns of his dark cabinets.

Her ass was waving back and forth, slowly, tempting him with a com-hither wave that was beckoning him to give a swift and painful experience to the owner of such a fine ass by his hands. And she had no clue what she was doing to him.

"Found one. And it fits," Kagome proudly proclaimed as she moved to a sitting position with the lid in her hand. "How's the meat coming?" she innocently asked as she turned to face the hanyou. "What's wrong?"

The muscles in his handsome face were knotted up tightly, his dark brows furrowed deeply, and his eyes were clinched shut. Kagome was afraid she'd need the "Jaws of Life" to pry the lids back open.

_Shit…busted…_

He snapped his eyes open and made his entire body relax. "Keh," he muttered quickly to draw attention away from what his real problem was. "Just…just tenderizing this crappy piece of meat you bought." At least that could explain why his claws were buried in the chilly flesh.

Kagome stood up, bringing the pan and lid up with her, setting it down on the counter. "Yeah, I figured as much. Ever since I turned the butcher's son down for a date, he's been doing things like that to me. Order three beef fillets, all well tenderized, and he only gives me two."

"What a fuckin' baby!"

"I know…sheesh…"

"When did he ask you out?"

"When I was in the seventh grade."

"The seventh grade? And he's been rude to you ever since?"

"Yeah. But not to my mom though. She gets better than the best when she goes to him. Oh well…it looks like you're doing a good job softening it up. I could always soak it with some vinegar, too, if it's still too tough."

Inuyasha yanked his claws out of the beef before dicing it up like he did with the previous fillets. "There," he gruffly stated as his blood was still heated from her little display there on the floor.

Kagome set the pan onto the burner and turned it on to a medium-high heat. She pulled out a bottle of olive oil and doused the bottom of the pan with enough oil to cover it. Next, she sprinkled some pepper and salt into the oil. Grabbing a handful of the onion slices, she dumped them into the pan, mixing them around the pan so they soaked up some of the oil and spices.

"Bring the meat over," she instructed the hanyou. Inuyasha brought over the sliced up beef, setting the dish down next to the stove. Kagome picked up the bowl and poured the pink beef slices into the pan with the heated oil and caramelizing onions.

"Here, watch this while I take care of the potatoes," Kagome said as she handed Inuyasha the thick bamboo chopsticks.

"Kagome…"

"It's easy. Just mix it around and don't let it burn. I thought you knew how to cook."

"If I'm cooking, then how does this count as _you_ making _me_ dinner?"

"Minor details." Kagome drained the water from the potatoes and brought them over to the pan. "Okay, when I dump these in, mix everything up really good. We need the potatoes to be covered with all of the juices in the pan."

Inuyasha did as his 'teacher' instructed him to. Actually, it wasn't all that bad. Cooking with the old man was a horrible experience. Stupid old man would hit his hands if he did something wrong.

"Want me to do this?" Kagome asked as Inuyasha took on the duty of making sure the potatoes cooked.

"I got it."

"All right. Let me add the carrots and then we can get this ready. Measuring cup? Or actually, just a cup of any kind?"

"In that cabinet."

Kagome opened up the one he pointed to and found an array of drink ware, from plastic cups to glass ones in a variety of shapes and sizes. She took out a red plastic cup, closed the cupboard up, and then walked to the sink, filling the cup up.

"Turn it up to boil," she instructed as she brought the cup of water over to the pan, dumping the liquid over the cooking food. After checking the water level, she refilled the cup and added more water to the pan until it covered the food.

Inuyasha mixed everything around nice and good as the water soon started to boil. He looked over at Kagome, awaiting his next set of instructions.

"First, move the food around so that the potatoes are on the bottom. Then turn it down to a simmer, placing the lid on top."

Inuyasha found the dish relatively easy to make, something even he could do. He was glad Kagome had picked out something simple for him to eat. Sometimes, eating the fancy shit at her restaurant just didn't satisfy him.

"Want something to drink?" he offered, setting the chopsticks down on the counter next to the stove.

"Sure."

Inuyasha opened the fridge. "Water, juice, beer…"

"A beer would be fine."

He grabbed a couple of bottles and set them down on the counter. After opening one, he handed it to Kagome before opening up one for himself. Kagome jumped up and took a seat on the counter away from where she was cooking.

"How long have you lived here?"

Inuyasha sat on the counter across from Kagome, cradling the cool bottle of beer in his clawed hands. He shrugged his shoulders at her simple question as he thought of the answer.

"I don't know. About ten years…I guess…"

"Eh? Ten years?"

He looked away, knowing the next question she was going to ask, and he, being unable to lie to her, would have to answer her truthfully. It was always this answer that drove them away. It was just a part of him being a hanyou.

"Yeah," he gulped loudly, swallowing down a nasty-tasting lump before continuing. "I bought it about five, six years after I opened the clinic."

Kagome nodded. Inuyasha watched her as she started adding up the years in her head. "And how long were you in school for? I've heard that medical school is like seven, eight years of training."

"Four years for my undergrad, two years for my masters, another three for the doctorate and then six for my MD."

"That's…wow…a whole bunch of school." Kagome took a sip of her beer. "So, that makes you how old in doggy years?"

"Feh. So what? I age slower."

"Well, I know that. I may not know the ins and outs of inu-hanyou, but I do know something about youkai and hanyou in general and that's that they age slower than humans."

"But I'm like fifty years old," he explained, hoping she understood so that if she was bothered by it, she could leave now.

"Ayame is almost forty and Kouga's pushing seventy, though they both appear to be in their mid-20s. And the old man told me how old he is. Now, he is older than dirt."

Inuyasha relaxed as he yet again passed over another hurdle with Kagome relatively smoothly. Kagome seemed to be okay with his age. He chuckled at her joke. "Yeah, he is."

Kagome slid off the counter, setting her beer down where she sat, and headed over to the pan to check on the food, mainly the potatoes since those would take the longest to cook. They were still firm, so she replaced the lid before assuming her position on the counter once again.

"You were worried I would find you too old," Kagome calmly stated, though her eyes were averted elsewhere in the kitchen before dropping them on her lap. For some reason, she didn't want to see the look on his face.

"Maybe I worried you were too young for me."

"Too young? Really? From what Eri tells me, men like 'em young. Something about fertility and ideal mates or something. Somehow, she can always throw some theory of evolution into her conversations."

"She's not that far off."

"Ayame said the same thing when trying to explain Kouga and her four kids and why she'll end up with a dozen cubs in twenty years and that we shouldn't be surprised by it."

"Sounds like I'll have to get this Kouga guy drunk so I can neuter him. Don't need him stinkin' up Japan with smelly wolf cubs."

"Uh, don't let Ayame find out. She'll neuter you and your brother in retaliation."

"She can have Sesshoumaru's balls. Wear 'em around her neck for all I care."

Kagome chuckled. "I can't see Ayame going after your brother. He's so…intense; it's scary."

"He's just a pansy."

"You say that when he's not around," she commented, slipping off the counter once again to check on their dinner. She checked the potatoes and found that they were softened, but not mushy, meaning dinner was done. "Your bowls?"

"That cupboard there."

Kagome opened the cupboard and pulled down two large black ceramic bowls. She dished out her usual serving sizes: Kagome-sized and hanyou-sized portions. Inuyasha headed over towards her, grabbing her beer for her and getting two sets of chopsticks for them to use.

He followed her out to the dining room table where Kagome paused in setting down the bowls. Should they sit next to each other? Across from each other? She wasn't sure about the etiquette on table seating. At the restaurant, they seemed to be much more casual with one another, as if inside _KenSen_ they were just strictly friends.

Inuyasha set a pair of chopsticks down on the side of the table nearest the window and the other pair adjacent to the side nearest the kitchen. His table was small enough so that if he sat across from her, she'd still be close. But he liked the intimacy they shared when they sat close to each other, but on different sides.

Once Inuyasha had decided their seating arrangements, she sat the bowls down, taking her seat just as Inuyasha took his. He handed Kagome her beer once she was seated comfortably.

"Itadakimasu," Kagome softly chanted as she reached for her chopsticks.

"Itadakimasu," Inuyasha mumbled with a mouthful of meat and potatoes.

Kagome giggled, using that to keep herself from asking how the food was. It was a habit of hers that she knew she needed to break. For one, if Inuyasha didn't like it, he'd let her know immediately. Also, it was hard for anyone to determine if the food was good or not in just one bite, as several were needed to get accustomed to the flavors. As long as he ate it, that would have to be good enough for her.

"Didn't you eat anything at all today?"

He just shook his head as he continued to shovel food into his mouth, eating as much as he could as fast as he was capable of. Actually, he wasn't sure if he had breakfast or not that morning. As if it mattered. He was hungry now and Kagome's food was the best he had tasted.

"There's more in the pan," she reminded him as he emptied his bowl, getting closer to a second helping. "Oh, I also brought something for dessert."

His ears perked up. "Dessert?" he asked, darting his eyes over to the kitchen, wondering how he missed it.

"Yeah, nothing too fancy though. When I was at the market getting the ingredients for dinner, I lucked out on some strawberries and I just couldn't resist."

"Sounds good."

"Yeah? I thought about making a sorbet or something with them. And then I thought that strawberry shortcakes would be nice and then once the ideas started raining down on me, I didn't know what to do."

Dinner continued quietly after that, giving Kagome a chance to eat instead of doing all of the talking. Inuyasha got up and entered the kitchen, bringing the pan back over to the table. Pushing his bowl away from him, he slid the pan over and ate out of that. This seemed normal to Kagome. She was sure that if Hojo had done something like this, she'd be stunned.

"Did you get enough?" she happily asked, chuckling out her question as she watched him pick at the potato and beef remnants lurking at the bottom of the pan.

"For now," he answered as he set his chopsticks down horizontally between him and the bowl. Reaching for his beer, he tipped his head back, finishing of the last of the bitter brew. "Want another?"

"Er, I'm still on my first."

He nodded as he realized that he had just made an ass out of himself. Of course she wasn't ready for another. She wasn't some raging alcoholic, thank Kami for that. Most likely she'd have one, maybe two if the night lasted that long, and that would be her limit. As for him, he felt like he needed to drink in order to calm his frazzled nerves.

_Mating seasons needs to end soon._

He still needed another beer. Grabbing his empty bowl, he placed it inside the empty pan, followed by Kagome's. He also put his empty beer bottle in the mix, picking it all up as he looked at Kagome to say, "I'm going to put this mess away."

Kagome jumped to her feet. "I can do the dishes. I mean, I was the one that cooked and made the mess…it's the least I can do."

"It's fine. I'm just going to toss it into the sink for now."

"Are you sure?" she called out from her place in the dining room.

"Keh," he mumbled as he headed into the kitchen to not only toss the dirty dishes into the sink, but to find some more alcohol. He was just so damn nervous. Having someone…anyone over at his apartment really stressed him out. This was his private sanctuary that he had now just shared with Kagome. He didn't mind it too much, but still…

He gulped down an entire bottle, hoping to feel a numbness clouding his brain any moment now. Something was really taking a toll on his mind. He took his third beer back to the dining area. As a hanyou, his body would quickly burn through the alcohol. It was just his temporary solution until Kagome left, and then he could go and do something, like workout, so he could sweat out all of his frustrations. Curse his damned sexual frustration!

"Kagome," he softly called out her name as she was not to be found at the dining room table. The tall chair had been pushed back and her beer was missing. His silver tresses were softly lifted up by a chilling breeze, prompting him to search for its source.

He immediately found her outside on the balcony, leaning over the metal railing as the hard winds rushed around her, whipping her raven locks all around her face. The sky had grown dark, almost black from the rain-filled clouds that came stampeding into the city. Without even thinking, he set his beer down and slowly walked his way towards her.

Kagome turned to find Inuyasha making his way towards her. She was laughing as she brushed her hair away from her face. So carefree she seemed, she had no idea, no idea how beautiful, how precious she looked to him. "Did you see it?" she called out excitedly.

"See what?" he calmly replied, his voice low, much lower than it needed to be.

"The lightning. It was…huge…like a giant neon tree that just branched out from the darkness, lighting up the sky before – poof! – gone." Her hands waved around in the air before falling back to her sides. For as long as she could remember, she absolutely loved storms. Something about the wind, the thunder, the lightning, and the rain, it all combined into something so powerful, yet natural.

There was something immediately different about her. That smile of hers felt so much warmer and her eyes were wide, but soft and everything about her sparkled. He was drawn to her and there was no way he could back off, and no way could she get away.

Kagome's head snapped away to the flash of another strike of light and she gasped at the roar of thunder that followed. She loved these storms. The danger…the unpredictability of it. Anytime there was a storm, she felt compelled to watch it until it finally passed and there was nothing left of it but a washed city.

Inuyasha reached out, the thunder hammering just above them as he took a hold of Kagome's wrist, spinning her around until her gaze finally recognized his. Kagome found another storm to gaze upon, one even more powerful and dangerous than the one happening above her. His golden eyes had bronzed over with so many emotions.

They both stood still, staring down each other, both breathing heavily as the wind swirled around them, whipping up streams of silver and black. As he was still holding onto her arm, he pulled her close, her body against his, soft against hard, gentle warmth against scalding heat. She gasped at the sudden contact and then found herself unable to look him in his eyes any longer. With his free hand, he lifted her chin up before brushing away the hair that blew in her face, just enough to clear a path to her wet lips.

She melted against him as they shared a kiss more intense than any previous one. Her arms wrapped around him, holding herself against him as the fury of the storm raged on around them, and now within each of them.

Inuyasha didn't know what to do with his hands. He wanted them to be everywhere on her body at once. One hand found its way into her hair, grabbing a handful of it as he kept her head in place as he ravaged her sweet-tasting mouth. There was no time to waste to be gentle, his body…these feelings…this deep, unrelenting need…

Kagome felt the frustration as well. Her hands scrambled all over his hard muscles, his chest, gripping tightly onto his shirt before letting go to wrap her arms around him to hold onto him. Inuyasha pulled her head back as he pulled his lips away from hers to explore her soft, silky throat that was exposed to him, which he quickly devoured with hungry kisses.

It had to be good luck that she wore a pink cashmere sweater with one of those collars that was off the shoulder, allowing him to reveal much more of her porcelain skin. He didn't have to take anything off yet to gain access to what he needed to claim at this very instant.

With her neck tilted back, her mouth was left open as she panted in the cool air despite the fact that all she was really doing was letting him ravish her in the midst of the storm. One thing she could do…his ears. Reaching up through his silken mass of silver hair, she massaged the fuzzy triangles in time with a hand of his that found a breast.

Her moan was music to his ears, sounds of her pleasure, pleasure _he_ was giving her. She arched her back, pressing her body against his. Strong hips jerked forward letting Kagome actually feel what she was doing to him. In response, she grounded her hips back against his, earning a growl of approval.

Kagome took hold of the hem of Inuyasha's shirt and yanked it up, breaking away from him long enough to rid him of his shirt, tossing it onto a chair. The way his muscles rippled underneath his smooth skin, she reached out compelled to touch it. She slowly slid her hands down the length of his chest, causing shivers to follow in their wake. His nipples hardened and she marveled at the way everything about him just came together, hard and soft, warm and cool.

Licking her lips, Kagome bent forward, dragging her tongue over one of the nipples, finally getting a sample of his flavor: salty, sweet male. Smacking her lips, liking his taste, she looked up at Inuyasha, searching his lust-hungry eyes for a response.

Grabbing onto her head, he leaned down and kissed her again, hard. His nose picked up on the way her scent was quickly changing from normal everyday Kagome to very aroused Kagome. He could also taste it in her mouth and on her skin.

It was her turn for her shirt to come off. He had to feel her skin against his. The sweater was tossed in some unknown direction that neither cared about. It was off. So much more skin to touch, to kiss…to attack. He had to taste all of her and even then he knew he could never be satisfied.

The bra straps were both pulled off her shoulders at the same time. When she didn't protest, he continued. Again, he kissed her, their tongues playing a pleasurable game of tug o' war. Kagome, knowing from previous kissing sessions that Inuyasha was and would always be the winner, quickly submitted to his dominance of the kiss.

One hand was all he needed to finally remove a piece of clothing he had yet to ever remove from her; in moments, it was gone. Kagome didn't realize right away what he had done. It was only when she felt the cool breeze brush across her bare breasts that she discovered her bra was missing.

Never having exposed her breasts to anyone, not another female or her doctor, she felt warmed from the embarrassment. She turned her head away, closing her eyes tight as she sensed his eyes roaming over her.

Inuyasha quickly sensed her fear and shame and knew he had to act quickly before he lost her.

His mouth swiftly latched onto a protruding nipple, his tongue flicking at and sucking on the hardened piece of flesh. Kagome reached out for his shoulders, her head tipping back, her mouth parting from the sensation her brain had yet to comprehend.

There was little for her to do other than actually enjoy the attention. It was so different than what she thought it would feel like. It was better. She was sure she was going to bend in half with her back arched over his arm that he was using to hold her up with.

It was the roar of thunder directly above them that brought Kagome back to her common sense. Kagome stood up straight, pressing her hands into his chest, pushing him away from her.

"Inuyasha…" she panted out, her throat dry.

Inuyasha rested his forehead against hers. He grabbed her arms, tightly, his body shaking. This wasn't a shiver caused by the cool air.

"Please..." he spoke the broken word in ragged gasps before begging more, "don't tell me to stop…" He was struggling badly to obey the command he had given her.

She smiled, something he missed with his eyes clenched shut. She took a deep breath, her body shivering as well. "I was going to suggest that we should take this into your bedroom." Her statement was given some supporting evidence with heavy drops of rain falling down on them.

He quickly pulled away from her so he could look her right in the eyes, those eyes that were always swirling with emotion. "Are you sure?" he had to ask, seeking her voluntary confirmation that she was ready and willing to do this with him. He had promised.

Kagome nodding, he heard her reply with a breathy "Yes."

A kiss. A deep, rough kiss that she eagerly accepted. Lifting her up, he had her wrap her legs around his waist as he waddled his way back into the apartment. He didn't have to look to know where he was going; he knew the layout of his apartment well enough.

The flash of lightning lit his way as they entered his bedroom. Placing his right knee on the edge of the bed, he carefully lowered her down onto the soft edge, his hands supporting her full weight.

This was it.

She was ready to do it.

Sex with Inuyasha was what she wanted, taking things to that next level and to feel a deeper connection to him. After a lifetime of boring orgasm-free sex, she was praying that the hanyou could deliver.

_So far, so good._

Inuyasha crawled over her, his hair creating a silver curtain that, for the moment, was blocking out the flashes of light from the storm. He stared down at her and was speechless at how he wound up with a woman like her underneath him in his bed.

Kagome started to grow a little self-conscious at the fact that she was lying there topless in Inuyasha's bed and all he could do was stare at her.

_Oh, I hope he isn't having second thoughts about this. Then I'll start having second thoughts, and then third thoughts, and then I won't remember what decision I actually made…_

She was starting to lose her nerve. He could see her. With Hojo, it was just the darkness, nothing to explore with a sweeping gaze. Sucking in a quick breath of air, she held it in when Inuyasha put his hand on her chest, just above her left breast along her collar bone. Bit by bit, he dragged it down along her creamy skin, ticking the little hairs as he made his way down.

Kagome was real.

No more hazy dreams and cloudy fantasies. Not this time. He could feel her with his touch, hear the pitter-pattering of her hurried heartbeat, and her smell – this meadow of hers – a musky fog was rolling in, it was so thick he could almost eat it.

Her meadow, the essence of her scent, the one that kept him calm and drove him absolutely delirious all at the same time, was calling to him once again. With his eyes closed, he could picture this mystical meadow, the trees, the abundant flora, and Kagome. Beautiful Kagome. She was sitting in the tall grasses and flowers with fireflies hovering around her.

And in her meadow she sat still just as a gentle breeze glided in his direction, causing Kagome to turn, her hair blowing around her glowing naked skin. Her eyes locked with his, causing him to choke. He was trapped.

Opening his eyes, he caught Kagome looking away, her skin flushed from embarrassment. Whoops. How long had he been frozen like that as he zoned out? He didn't want her to think that he saw her as something freaky.

Letting out a deep sigh, he took a hold of her jean-covered hip, and then slid his hand down, hooking his hand underneath her knee, pulling the muscular leg up, wrapping it around his waist as he pushed his hips into hers. Things were just beginning.

Kagome let out a surprised gasp, and some air she realized she had been holding onto. His initial gaze seemed to be so scrutinizing, as if he were examining her like some specimen. Had she passed? Did he like what he was looking at? She prayed that this wasn't just an in-season hormonal thing for him.

"Kagome…" he breathed out softly.

Her attention snapped to him at the sound of her name. She barely had a moment to process it before his lips were on hers, reassuring her that he definitely wasn't having second thoughts, and that he believed her to be the most beautiful creature in his world.

Kagome pulled him down onto her, her chest crashing against his perfectly sculpted one. His skin was hot. Her hands slid along his sleek skin, until she reached her destination and entangled her hands in the mass of his silver hair.

She moaned against his mouth, the hum of her voice vibrating through his lips. He replied with a rumble of his own, causing Kagome to shiver in anticipation. His rumble…this purr was so animalist, raw, and—dare she think—passionate, that she was starting to lose any coherent thought except for one command…she _needed_ him.

The snail's pace he was moving at was agonizing, torturing her with promises that she just couldn't wait for. There had to be some way to speed things up. She didn't want it to end, but she wanted it to really begin.

Pulling her fingers out from his thick hair, she rubbed her hands down his lean, toned back until she reached the waistband of his jeans. Her fingers trembled as she thought about what she was going to do.

_Is he a boxer of a briefs kind of guy…?_

She slipped her fingers underneath the heavy cotton fabric and followed the hem around his waist towards her goal. A strange heat warmed her insides as her fingers brushed across his stomach and the tiny hairs that trailed down to what was underneath his jeans.

Inuyasha nibbled on her bottom lip as his way to control his urge to shred her clothes off her body as he felt her fingers tickle the hairs around his belly button, a weak spot he hoped she hadn't caught onto yet, or his other ones.

Once she felt the warm metal of the button, she knew she couldn't, wouldn't turn back now. Her fingers fumbled to draw the button through the slot, but then…success! Next, she found the zipper. Sticking her hips down into the mattress, she made the room she needed to draw the zipper down.

"Wha…?" Kagome sputtered out when Inuyasha lifted his weight off of her, and his warmth, so he had the room he needed to grab her hand, ceasing her plan to get into this pants.

He had to stop her; his inner youkai demanded it, causing him to move his hand to stop her before he knew exactly what it was he was doing. Gently, he pulled her arm away, pinning her wrist down onto the bed above her head.

She was confused. Wasn't this what he wanted? It was obvious he was interested—she could feel his erection digging into her inner thigh. Eri had mentioned several times that there were guys that were turned on by eager women, smirking when females tore off their clothes in the rush to get it on.

He took a hold of her other wrist and used his right hand to hold both arms up and out his way. Her eyes widened when she realized that he was planning to make this last as long as he could. Eri gave humans no more than an hour, but demons could last several hours. It was going to be a very long night. Oh, she couldn't wait.

But she could no longer dwell on how the night would actually turn out as her mind no longer had the ability to focus on any single coherent thought. Warm lips brushed along her sides, his hot breath tickling her in a manner that felt good in an unfamiliar way.

Once again, it was his goal to somehow touch every part of her skin, but for different reasons. His lips trailed up, finding their own way to one of her breasts, holding on with no desire to let go. Kagome threw her head back against the down blanket, surrendering much too soon to him. She knew by her earlier mistake that she was never in control of the situation; she had given up her control long before she told him that she was ready.

Her half-naked, glistening body rubbed against his, igniting a delicious, yet agonizing, friction that forced her hips to grind against his as a remedy to somehow alleviate the knotting of her stomach. She maneuvered her lower body so that her core rubbed and down his upper thigh, desperate to somehow find relief.

Nipping at her side, she ceased her rubbing, whimpering at the loss of her temporary solution. His chuckle was deep in his throat, amused by how excited and eager she was. And she seemed so innocent. Not that the appearance of innocence actually mattered. With his free hand, he did what she had done earlier, but much faster, his hand digging deep inside her clothing finding only wet, soft flesh that scorched his skin.

Kagome's eyes went wide and then fluttered closed when she felt him touching her there. No man…of course no man had ever touched her there, she was saving it for someone else, someone not quite a man, someone like Inuyasha. Her hips bucked in automatic response until her mind started to turn against her.

_Sharp claws…_

No, she yelled at herself. Inuyasha would never. What danger could there be when she felt so good? The negative thoughts were quickly swallowed up by the fog of her ecstasy.

Two intense topaz jewels watched the girl beneath him whither and moan. For a being who claimed to have no patience, he was doing quite well from keeping himself from taking her right there. He needed her to be ready; he wanted her to be ready. He wanted to give her what she deserved.

Kagome could feel it. She had felt this before, by the workings of her own nimble fingers. The way everything in her body started to bubble up, the knots tightening, her blood just almost starting to boil, but not popping, yet. She was so close, he just had to…

Inuyasha slipped his fingers out from inside her clothing, staring in awe at the thick liquid that coated them. He stuck his tongue out, closing his eyes as he quickly cleaned them off. Oh, so sweet. So Kagome, but only a mere sample.

Kagome hadn't realized that she was totally naked until Inuyasha released her wrists so he could pull her pants off from around her ankles. Her body was pulled forward, her legs dangling off the side of the bed where a sexual predator was waiting for her.

Closing his eyes, he followed his keen scent straight down the middle path to taste what had smelled so good. His long tongue licked up the entire length of her core, the tip of his tongue curling up to grab more of her liquid essence. His insides burned with a greater sense of passion.

Taking a firm grip of both her legs, he pushed them up, gently spreading them so he had unrestricted access to her. Good thing she was so flexible. He licked at her like a thirsty dog, the thirsty dog that he was. Other than his eyesight, all of his senses were feeding off of her.

Kagome was reaching a delirium she never knew existed. Her hands fisted into the cotton comforter as she tossed her head about. What was he doing to make her feel like _this_?

The intimacy, as well as the danger of the act, did not go unnoticed. Inuyasha was dangerous with his claws, strength, and fangs, but despite all of that, she trusted him to only pleasure her, to never harm her.

Licking just…well, it just wasn't enough. It did work well enough to drink in as much of her juices. He was losing the battle with the patience he thought he had. Not that he cared about patience.

"Ah…" Kagome wailed out at the newest sensation. Whatever it was he was doing – wow – she didn't want him to stop. Once again, she felt the early rumblings of an orgasm. The same knotted feelings, but somehow different. More knots? Tighter knots?

Inuyasha quickly pulled away, hunched over as he took several deep breaths.

_Stupid fucking…_

Sometimes he just couldn't understand his youkai side. Why? Why wouldn't he…it…allow her the opportunity to orgasm? It had to be something he was still discovering about his heritage. Still…he had made other woman orgasm without playing this game.

Standing up, he stared down at the panting girl sprawled out on his bed. He quickly shed the rest of his clothing. The wait was almost over, for both of them. He stood at the edge of the bed, watching Kagome as she drew in much-needed air. He was mesmerized by the sight of her.

Kagome cracked open her eyes. And she was so close to. Right there. Why did he…? She paused for her thoughts to catch up when she caught the sight of him, all of him, naked. He was beautiful, perfectly beautiful. Sitting up, she tried to reach out to touch him, to feel his warmth.

Inuyasha intercepted her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers as he slowly descended down on top of her, blanketing her tiny frame. He settled himself down in between her legs, already lubricating himself with her liquid heat.

"Take a deep breath," he whispered to her. It was the best he could come up with at the moment as a warning for what he was about to do. He knew it had been a while for her and then with the cracks he heard from the urologist about Hojo, she was in for something new.

Kagome nodded, closing her eyes as she willed all of her muscles to loosen and relax for the incoming intrusion. A part of her though still held onto that anxiety. She never got a good glance at Hojo, but still, Inuyasha seemed to be so much larger, his stiff member had been standing up so tall and proud and…painful? It looked painful. The thought of pain clenched all of her muscles back up.

Inuyasha felt her nails digging into her shoulders. He sighed. "You need to relax Kagome," he told her as he reached down between them to take a hold of himself to guide him in.

She nodded again. Yeah, she knew she needed to relax, but her nerves just wouldn't let her. And then she remembered her first time with Hojo and how painful that was, she figured they would never get to it.

"Kagome, look at me."

She opened her eyes and found his face so close. He bent down and kissed her, gently. It was one of those kisses that messed with her brain so she couldn't think. Her body relaxed as the kiss melted her muscles. Inuyasha slowly entered her, almost forgetting to keep kissing her at how tight she was. His eyes rolled back behind his lids and he moaned into her mouth at the incredible feeling.

Kagome couldn't describe it, this feeling of fulfillment. Never had she believed that a part of her was this physically empty, but now, the joining of Inuyasha into her body had her overfilling.

However, the stretching of her insides stung, causing her to suck in her bottom lip to nibble down on it. Her body stiffened at the slightly painful entry as her body worked at adjusting to Inuyasha's presence.

"You okay?" he quietly questioned her as he pulled up to get a glance at her scrunched up face.

"Yeah," she meekly replied before adding, "It's just…new…"

"New?"

"It's been a while and well…you're a lot bigger than Hojo, I think," she added the last part as a mumbled afterthought.

He beamed at the most favorable comparison. "You think?"

"I never got a real good look," she admitted, also admitting that Inuyasha was the first one she had really looked at.

The conversation took her mind away from the pain long enough for that annoying pain to disappear. Inuyasha slowly pulled out, leaving just the tip inside, gauging Kagome's reactions before slowly re-entering her.

"Fuck…" he hissed in ultimate pleasure. It was so damn good. She felt so warm…so good. Maybe a little too good.

Kagome's mouth remained slightly parted as she felt herself blossoming sexually for the first time. With every slow stroke, Inuyasha pushed in deeper and deeper, losing himself not just to Kagome, but to his demon side as well. Vibrant purple strips zigzagged down his cheeks and his eyes shone a brilliant, powerful red.

Kagome didn't notice his change. She could only sense what he was doing to her and how slow it felt once again. It wasn't working anymore as she'd reached a point where she needed more.

"Puh…lease…" she said with breathless desire, unable to string multiple syllables into any one coherent word.

Nevertheless, even in his demon form, he understood. He sped up and added a little more force, careful to remember that this woman was a fragile, beautiful human.

Kagome couldn't exactly describe this new feeling. Drowning…a welcomed feeling…Her hands clawed along Inuyasha's back as she struggled to search for wherever it was that he was taking her. He really liked that. It didn't hurt him at all. And she really was scratching him up. It didn't matter as it would be healed by morning. He encouraged her to be rough with him.

His forceful grunts and her mewls drowned out the sounds of the storm that continued on outside. Their hairs stuck to their bodies as they both worked up a sweat, his drops of perspiration falling onto Kagome. She had both legs wrapped tightly around his waist as his actions accelerated.

Still…it could be better…for both of them. One thing about working with a pervert and a sexual psychologist was the expert knowledge. Miroku made sure to pass along the latest information he read in "Cosmo" about the newest positions that claimed to maximize pleasure. The only problem, Inuyasha already knew about them.

And with that, Inuyasha jerked Kagome down the bed, slamming her onto him as he took a standing position off the edge of the bed. Grabbing her legs, he held them straight up before hooking them over his shoulders. He grabbed what he could of the comforter and stuffed it underneath her, lifting her hips up off the bed several inches before resuming.

Kagome's back arched up violently as her insides were assaulted with more intense pleasure. Somehow, he found a way deeper into her, hitting a spot she had only dreamed about.

Both their faces contorted in ecstasy as they both neared their peaks. Kagome reached hers first, her body taken over by helpless spasms and a bright light bursting, fireworks maybe, behind her eyelids as she screamed out in sexual abandonment.

Kagome's orgasm ignited Inuyasha's eruption; he howled out as his brows furrowed momentarily before all of his muscles let go. He collapsed on top of her, the two of them becoming a shuddering heap as their hearts raced together.

Snaking an arm underneath her, he slid the both of them back up the bed, gently resting her head down on a pillow. He pulled the down comforter over them, but only up to their waists, as the room was still steamy from their activity.

"You okay?" he asked after several minutes of silence, his retracting claws brushing away some of the damp hair from her rosy face. He admired the pink flush that painted her chest and throat.

"Mmm…" she happily hummed out, unable to find her voice after that scream.

_Wow, that was…incredible…_

Reluctantly, he slipped out of her, moving behind her, turning her onto her side, pulling her up against his body, and spooning her as they continued to catch their breaths.

"You okay?" Kagome asked back as she finally found the ability to speak.

"I'm fine. Need anything? Thirsty?"

"No. This is good. Just like this."

"Let me know." He dragged his claws along her skin, admiring its healthy color, its silkiness, and a few of the marks he made. He loved the feel of her, always touching her.

Lying there quietly, he watched her breathing even out as she quickly fell fast asleep. He buried his nose in her hair, taking in a deep inhale of this newest scent of hers, a mix of sweat, sex, him, and Kagome. He was already addicted. He planted soft kisses along her spine; his lips brushing her skin on the way back up. Hugging her tightly, he then loosened his hold as he decided to join her in slumber land. A few more deep inhales of her intoxicating scent and he was out.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

She did not want to wake up. She was having that dream, the one she had been having starring herself in some very provocative positions with her sexy, doggy-eared boyfriend. Anytime she had that dream, she always woke up with a deep yearning to fill that void.

As she was made more aware of her surroundings, things started to fall into place. Silver hair tickled her nose as the source of this morning's warmth breathed softly underneath her. She sat up yawning before glancing down on her dream. He looked so peaceful.

Waking up had its downsides–the night, that most wonderful night, was over, left to remain only as a memory. Not to mention, other bad things that happen, like the call of nature. The pressure her bladder was exerting was the pain that woke her up. Carefully, so as not to wake Inuyasha, she slid out of the bed, noticing how naked she really was. She quickly padded across the floor, finding her way into the master bath.

More than just her bladder was causing her pain. Was sex always this painful? It wasn't a bad pain, more like a 'working out after taking a few days off' kind of pain. Her legs and her privates ached. Flushing the toilet, she eyed the giant bathtub and was immediately drawn to it. The hot water held some promise of relief.

After washing herself off with the masculine-smelling soap she found, she dipped herself into the oversized tub. His bathtub was amazing. Of course, he could easily afford to have such a large tub filled with hot water like this constantly. At the Shrine, they had a regular-sized tub that couldn't be as hot as she would like it to be due to the costs.

Leaning her head back against the wide-tiled edge, she let out a refreshed sigh and she recalled the events of last night. She half-expected it to happen sometime, just not so soon. Not that it was too soon, just more of a spur of the moment thing.

Her face beamed as some of the more vivid memories strolled on by. Impossible orgasm…achieved! And the feel of oral…incredible. The feeling of being wholly connected with another being…wonderful. Overall, the night was simply magical.

"Oi."

"Ah!" Kagome screamed, lowering herself deeper into the water. "I-Inuyasha. What are you doing?"

"Hoping to take a bath…" he said with a smirk.

"You do stink," she replied with a crinkle of her nose.

"…with you."

Kagome paused. He..in the same bath…with her, at the same time? She nodded, glancing away, hiding her blush as he stepped into the hot water. She didn't dare look at him until he was covered by the water. Why was she being so bashful? She saw plenty of him last night…

"How ya feelin'?"

"Fine," she answered, taking a sneak peek at him. He arched a dark brow at her. "Oh, all right. I'm a little tender in some areas. All your fault by the way. I told you it's been a while."

"You're not too sore, are you?" Worry was etched into each word he spoke. Parts of last night were hazy for him. As he feared, he lost a little control and part of his demon side slipped through. But he doubted he could've stopped it from happening anyway.

She shook her head. "Nothing this bath won't cure. And some loose-fitting pants." They both chuckled at her last comment.

"Come here," he instructed her, motioning her over with his head. Kagome waded her way over to him. She turned and sat in front of him; Inuyasha pulled her against his chest. Kagome rested her head against his shoulder as they sat in the water enjoying their first morning after.

_She didn't leave._

He was so relieved that he didn't frighten her away last night. After they hunkered down for cuddling and sleep, he completely conked out. It was strange for him to be able to sleep so deeply. But the more time he spent with Kagome, the more rested up he was every night.

"Are you hungry?" Kagome asked as she felt the first stirrings of her stomach.

"Starvin,'" he whispered in her ear, nipping playfully at the lobe. He smirked at her cute gasp. It was so easy.

"Um…how-how about I…um…breakfast? I can cook breakfast."

"In a minute," he mumbled as he gave the skin around the back of her ear its good morning kiss.

Kagome shivered in the hot water, hugging her knees loosely against her chest as his head drooped to the side, giving him access to her throat column. The smell of her washed up in his soap was really turning him on, as well as her newest scent. He closed his eyes as he once again deeply inhaled her odor. There wasn't enough.

He was back in that meadow, Kagome's meadow. She was still naked, lying amongst the flowers and other scents that made up her unique smell. There was an addition, a new member to join in the combination of scents.

Him.

Her meadow was surrounded by tall pine trees that were cleaned by a fresh spring shower. He had always been told he had a woodsy, earthy smell. Was this how it manifested itself?

The rumbling of his stomach yanked him from his vision and brought Kagome out of hers. She giggled at the hanyou, who despite his best attempts at trying to seduce her in the bathtub, it was all foiled due to hunger.

"Stay in here and wash up. I'll go make us something. Oh, breakfast in bed, is that okay?"

"Is breakfast okay?"

"No, eating in your bed?"

"Yeah."

"Great."

He watched her retreating form, the water streaking down her backside as she pulled a towel around her. Kagome closed the door behind her, leaving Inuyasha to warm water and his thoughts.

When Inuyasha finally emerged from the tub about twenty minutes later, his nose was met with the promise of lots of good food to eat. He would need it. Sex was such an energy-draining activity for him. Stupid old-school instincts. Back in the day, fucking a female was a highly dangerous activity as both were vulnerable to an attack. But that was so long ago. Parts of their demon side just hadn't evolved yet.

Slipping into some dark blue flannel pajama pants, he made his way into the kitchen to check on Kagome and breakfast. He was startled to find her happily humming as she fried up a lot of bacon while only wearing one of his shirts. He recognized it as the one he wore to work on Friday, having tossing it onto the floor in his bedroom the moment he came home to change into clothes for working out in.

Her long toned legs danced to whatever music she was playing in her head. And he had just calmed himself down from being with her in the tub.

"Hey, it's almost ready," she said with a soft smile. "Uh, I borrowed a shirt. Mine's kinda missing."

Right, he got rid of her shirt outside and the rest of her clothes were hiding somewhere in his room. He made a mental note to himself to hide her clothes anytime she was over. She looked so hot in his clothes. Not to mention the smells.

Clearing his throat, he finally found the words to ask, "Need any help?"

"I'm not sure. I found the juice you had in the fridge, but I wasn't sure if you preferred any coffee or tea."

"Juice is fine."

"Then if you want to grab that and two cups, I'll bring the food in."

Sitting on his bed, he didn't have to wait long as Kagome brought in two plates, one heavily stacked with much more food. Eggs, bacon, rice, and toast was the simple feast to break the fast from last night.

He couldn't help but notice the way she walked, as if she were in slight pain. She handed him a plate, which he took before she carefully crawled onto the bed. They both sat their plates down and began to eat, silently.

"You sure you're okay?" he asked again.

"Yeah, just…" she blushed. "I've never had sex like that."

"Was it bad?" he questioned, his ears dropping into his hair.

"Oh Kami no. It was…" another blush. "Much better than I could fantasize about. Hojo was…well he was satisfied in our relationship with quickie, in-the-dark-only sex. This was a whole new experience for me."

"Keh." Oh yeah, he was proud.

"Anyhoo…I know I'm not experienced like Eri-"

"You were fine. If I wanted someone like Eri, I'm sure I could've had Eri."

"Mmmm. I think she did tell Sango that you were cute."

"Not interested."

"Really?"

"Yup."

"Then why me?"

"Because."

"Oh, not this game again."

"You smell good."

"Ayame said that scent was important, so I'll take your word for it."

"You can cook. You're pretty; you're kind and stubborn."

"And you find these things important?"

"Yes." Inuyasha was struck by this moment. He was being open and honest with a woman sitting on his bed, a woman he was attracted to on multiple levels, having a serious conversation.

"Kagome?" he began as his mind gave him no more time to think it over.

"Yes?"

"I'm going to ask you something, but you don't have to answer me immediately."

"Okay…" she said, drawing out the syllable with uncertainty.

"Move in with me."

That's a question? "What?"

"I want you to live with me. I'm practically living at the Shrine with you, but this way…"

"Okay."

"You can think about it."

"What's there to think about?"

"Your mother?"

"She'll tell me that I'm an adult and that I can make my own decisions. She's been saying that to me since I was fifteen."

"You can even move all of your kitchen shit in too."

"We don't separate well anyway," she teased.

"It's settled. After breakfast we'll-"

"After breakfast?" she asked, stunned by his eagerness.

"Keh, why not?"

"It's…well. I mean…are _you_ sure?"

"Are you?"

"I mean, I have a lot of kitchen stuff and clothes and all of my girlie things…"

"I'll make it all fit."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Mama," Kagome called out once she stepped into the main room of the Shrine, towing Inuyasha behind her. "Mama, we're here."

"Kagome. Inuyasha. How nice to see the two of you today."

"I'll be upstairs," Inuyasha stated before nodding to Mama Higurashi as he bounded up the stairs.

Mama Higurashi smiled back. "Let's have some tea." Kagome followed her mother into the kitchen, taking her usual seat at the familiar wooden table. Mama Higurashi sat down three ceramic cups, filling two of them up. She had to smile at the sight before her, Kagome, glowing, smiling, and wearing Inuyasha's shirt. She remembered those days.

"How was dinner?"

"Wha…Oh, it turned out fine. Not as good as yours though. Though it never is."

"I'm sure Inuyasha would prefer yours over mine."

Kagome blushed. "Mama, um, you know that I love this place…I grew up here. My memories are based here…Souta, Grandpa…

"Kagome, honey, what are you trying to say?"

Kagome gulped. Wow, this was much harder than she thought. Not that she expected it to be easy. "I-I'm moving in with Inuyasha," she quickly blurted out the words, unable to look her mother in the eye. "He…um…he asked me this morning and I said yes."

"That's so wonderful."

"Are you sure?"

"Kagome, I can survive without having my independent adult daughter worry about me too much."

"I do worry about you Mama. It's hard being lonely."

"Kagome, you're being ridiculous. I'm not lonely. There are times when I'm alone, but never lonely. I have friends. And you have Inuyasha. So I don't have to worry about you."

Mama Higurashi wasn't surprised by any of this. She knew her daughter well. And Inuyasha, being the gentleman that he was, had asked Mama Higurashi's permission to allow Kagome to move in with him, as if she had to give it. He was so nervous when he came over last week. She did everything she could to make him feel calm, tea, some snacks, space, and a smile. Finally, he started to talk and he explained everything.

Mama Higurashi could see it all in his eyes, as she had seen it in her own husband's so many years ago. Not that she would ever say no, as it was Kagome's decision, but even if she did have that authority, she still would have said yes. His eyes told her everything.

"I suppose Inuyasha wants you moved in by tonight, seeing how he is already upstairs."

"Uh…I guess. He did seem a little excited by the whole thing. Ugh, I did have to keep my eyes closed the entire ride over so I wouldn't look at the speedometer. It felt like he was going too fast."

"Well, when you get all moved in, you can invite me over for dinner."

"Oh, Mama, he does have the nicest apartment. It's so spacious with a great view. Eh…a little too masculine for my tastes."

"No doubt you'll soften it up. Come along, let's help out the poor man before he starts to whine. Bring him some tea."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

He had all of her stuff moved in that night, just like her mother had said. She really didn't have much. There was never any need for her to own furniture, just clothes, shoes, her collection of pictures and books, her girlie stuff, and of course, her kitchen toys.

They were both snuggled in bed, cuddling after another session of togetherness. Closing her eyes, she contentedly sighed. Everything just felt so perfect. That this was meant to be; this was how her life was supposed to go. As Inuyasha deeply inhaled her sexually-tinted floral scent, he was thinking the same thing.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's notes:** Little late in the season for lemonade, but I like lemon chicken. Or lemons, in general.

I will be posting the recipe on my LiveJournal account, though Kagome basically walks you through it. _Niku Jyaga_ means 'mother's specialty' and is a very popular dish made in Japan. A lot of homey dishes in Japan are stews that are made from simple foods. This is the generic version of it. Not everyone can afford the expensive meats, so a lot of stews can still taste good with inexpensive cuts. Same can be said with any soup or stew of any culture. Stew season is upon us, well some of us. I was watching the Seahawk's get clobbered by the Steelers and it was 81 degrees in Pittsburg while it was hovering about the low 50s here. So not fair.

Not sure how much you know about how the Japanese take baths, but basically, they wash themselves with water before actually going into the bath. And many don't take showers like how we think of showers. They have a stool that they sit on, and use a nozzle like a shower head to clean themselves with. Once they are clean, then they get into the tub. The bathtub in Japan can be compared to a hot tub here in the States. The hot water stays in the tub while people get in and out. The Japanese household empties their tub every week or two weeks depending on the number of people and usages. And the water is hot. Really hot. I can't wait to try a Japanese bath because I love my water to be hot.

Eri makes a comment about 'comfort women'. Comfort women is a euphemism for between 60,000 and 200,000 women, many from Korea and China, who were forced into sexual slavery for Japanese military brothels during World War II. Many Japanese officials to this day deny that this ever happened and that these women choose to become prostitutes. It is an ongoing debate at this moment. Former Prime Minister Abe had originally denied the existence of the historical accuracy of comfort women, but later recanted this belief. Japan has never formally acknowledged or apologized for the treatment of women during this time.

The Jaws of Life is a tool used by firefighters that allow them to rip open a car to rescue the injured victim trapped inside. It is normally referenced as a tool to get anyone out of a really tight jam.

Please give a shout out to my most awesome beta, renagrrl7 for her tireless efforts to make me sound like I'm a better writer. I send her nonsense and she is able to turn it into something intelligible.

Thanks for your patience. I know that this once a month update thing sucks. I think it does, but I can't write any faster given the time I have. So, thanks for putting up with it.

Thank you all for reading and thanks for the great reviews.

roshully


	27. Chapter 27

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Twenty and SevenTruth: Track A**

Kagome, dressed only in a heather grey cotton t-shirt of Inuyasha's, worked in the kitchen whipping up something special for their dinner. Inuyasha was at a conference in Kyoto and was scheduled to be home sometime this evening. She was making his favorite as a welcome home dish that she knew he would appreciate almost as much as her.

They had been living together for about seven months now and Kagome had to admit that things couldn't be better, both personally and professionally for the both of them. At the end of the summer, the restaurant celebrated its one year anniversary, marking the end of a successful trial year and the beginning of what was already shaping up to be an even more successful year.

She had help from Inuyasha and his clinic. Any business meetings requiring food were either held at _KenSen_ or had food prepared and delivered to the clinic. After much grumbling, complaining and probably a few person threats, Miroku and Sango finally found a way to get Kagome to revamp the clinic's cafeteria, turning it into a cafe that hired students from the cooking school in the same manner at _KenSen_. And per Inuyasha's suggestion, which surprised everyone that he even had an idea, the café was a place that helped his patients with their diets, serving food and creating menus for healthier lifestyles.

Inuyasha had also been lucky. The clinic funded several successful research projects including uterus implantation and working with the professor from Tokyo U on a computer chip that stimulates the natural environment of the womb for eggs that are fertilized and matured in Petri dishes. Many of the medications they used were refined to be better and safer. New tools, the newest technology, the right people, and the clinic was leaping and bounding past its competition as it continued to prove itself the best in the world.

For both, personally, life was just peachy. Inuyasha had found a fun woman who he could talk with and trust, as well as a feisty sex machine in and out of bed. Kagome had a whole new out take on life. She found someone she could be honest with for the first time since Souta died.

This didn't mean things were perfect. Not that anything could ever be. She learned quickly that he was a jerk about eighty-five percent of the time he opened his mouth. So infuriated she would become with him that she would scream at him and then ignore him, for just a short time.

Neither of them could stay mad at each other for too long. And that always lead to really great, powerful makeup sex. Never did she imagine that she'd be in a relationship that she could compare to Eri's. Well, not quite, but she had stories she could share, though she didn't. What happened between her and Inuyasha was between her and Inuyasha and the inanimate objects nearby.

As Kagome continued to work on the ramen, she recalled the last time she made his favorite soup dish for him and blushed. It was a half-planned, half-spur of the moment act that left both of them full, and yet, hungry for more.

After much protesting by Kagome, she was 'forced' to take a vacation from work. The contract she had signed made her obligated to the time off. A part of her itched to call the restaurant and be told about every little detail, but, another part of her found it relaxing, allowing her to focus on other things, like new recipes. But she could only handle two days of a real break from cooking before she had to do something food related. That's when she got that wicked idea.

It was a cold January day out, so Kagome choose to make Sapporo-style ramen, the same kind she made when she first saw Inuyasha again after all of those months. Sure he grumbled about how the spices bothered him and that since he was hanyou, he didn't have to depend on heating food up in a way to warm his body. But he had mentioned that it made any moment outside somewhat bearable. She had rolled her eyes at him. He wanted to be tough and at the same time, he just couldn't turn down ramen.

Walking into the RE section of the Izayoi Clinic, Kagome felt naked, causing her to shiver as she approached the help desk. She had the strangest feeling that everyone was looking at her and knew that underneath her black pencil skirt, knee high boots, the lavender cashmere cardigan and black wool coat, she really was naked.

"Oh, hey Kagome, what can I do for you today?" Saori asked, welcoming her frequent visitor. Inuyasha's success brought more work, so they had to cut back on their lunches. But Kagome found a way around that, calling Saori up and finding dead zones in his scheduling to have a quick bite with him.

"Uh, appointment…" Kagome blurted out before quickly gulping. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. She needed to get a grip. "Appointment for Rumiko."

"Ru-miko? Uh, that appointment was actually canceled. I tried calling-wait, you're Rumiko?"

"Yeah, I know. Bad me, calling in a fake appointment."

"No, it actually sounds really romantic. Anyway, he had to cancel due to an important phone call. The call isn't supposed to last long, he just didn't know when he was going to receive it and he hates being interrupted during appointments. It'll be okay for you to go ahead."

"Are you sure? Thanks Saori."

It was easy to sneak into his office. Whenever he was on the phone, he tended to turn his chair around so he could look out the window, leaving his back to the door. No matter how careful she tried to be, with his hanyou senses, she was always caught. So, she had to take a different, approach.

After closing the door, she locked it, even knowing that he could hear those sounds. She gathered all of the courage she could muster and walked toward his desk, standing there as he talked, putting the ramen down on his desk and waited.

Inuyasha wrinkled his nose at the two scents invading his nose. Covering the mouth piece of his phone, he said, "You have the wrong person. I didn't order any soup."

Kagome proudly smirked, stealing Inuyasha's trademark smirk. It had worked. When she had shared this little fantasy of hers with the girls at their last dinner, they were eager to offer any help they could.

"It's not you who's going to be eating," she coyly remarked with a playful tone to her voice.

The phone dropped from Inuyasha's hand as he turned around at the sound of his woman talking. She stood there giggling with bright pink cheeks. Scrambling to pick up the phone, he muttered something along the lines of 'call later, bye' before slamming the phone back on the receiver.

"K-Kagome," he stammered out as she dropped the coat from her shoulders, revealing her scent and not that of Ayame's. Ayame knew that the toughest thing would to somehow be able to trick Inuyasha's sense of smell and they both got the idea of giving her a cloak of wolf scent.

"Lunch time," she explained to him as she walked around his desk until she was standing next to him. Taking hold of the back of his chair, she turned it so that he faced her. The way his amber eyes stared up at her with this look of wonder was really turning her on. He had no idea what she had planned. She was going to love this.

"Oi wench, what the hell are you cooking in here?"

Kagome jumped at the sound of Inuyasha's voice bursting into and through her little memory. She dropped a pair of chopsticks she was using into the hot broth, making her unable to retrieve them. She would have to fish them out.

"And what are you wearing?"

"A shirt," she smugly replied, shrugging her shoulders. "I just got out of the bath not too long ago. I did our monthly cleaning at the restaurant this morning as we are receiving an inspection in a few days. And I know how much you hate the smell of cleaning chemicals. I do plan on putting on more clothes."

"No," he quickly shouted, rushing over to her. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her close to him, burying his nose into her damp hair. He missed her scent. Her missed her. It was so good to be back home.

"And I'm cooking ramen," she finally answered his original question.

"Don't lie. That's not the only thing I smelled."

"Pervert."

"What were you thinking about?"

"I…I was thinking about the last time I made you ramen…in your office…"

A low growl reverberated through his chest, and along her skin. Oh yeah, he hadn't forgotten about that one. His hand slid lower, cupping onto her ass cheek tightly. "I want dessert before dinner," he demanded huskily as he lifted her up and wrapped her legs around his waist.

Kagome laughed out loud as his mouth latched onto her neck, covering the freshly bathed skin with new kisses. "Actually, ramen was going to be your dessert."

They didn't make it to the bedroom. He made it as far as the dining room table before thoroughly ravaging her until she withered about the smooth surface. It was a moment of wanton need for both of them. A scream echoed with a howl, the release, and in the collapse, he flipped her around so that her tiny frame rested on his.

She twirled pieces of silver hair around her fingers. "I-"and stopped herself cold.

"Mmm?" His hands idly created warm circles along her lower back.

"I missed you," she softly replied. Closing her eyes, she quickly emptied her mind of the words that almost slipped out. Tomorrow she would have to speak with her mother.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

After a quick stop at _KenSen_ to delegate more cleaning duties to the staff, she left for the Shrine, relieved to find her mother present. She forgot at times that her mother had a life and wasn't always hanging out at the Shrine.

"Sorry I didn't call," Kagome said the moment after she greeted her mother.

"Kagome, you never need to call."

"I should, just in case you are out. I'm glad you are here though, I need to talk to you."

"Talk to me? Come, let's go inside and have some tea. I also made some pork buns."

"Those sound really good."

They walked into the house together, Kagome closing the door behind her. It was odd to be at the Shrine after living with Inuyasha for a little more than half a year. It wasn't long, but it did feel like it. Nothing had been rearranged or anything, but it had an unfamiliar feel, as if she wasn't totally welcomed; that she really was nothing more than a guest.

Inside the familiar kitchen, Kagome took her normal seat as her mother went over to get the tea and the warm pork buns. The pork buns started to give her inspiration but she had to let it pass as there were more important matters to be discussed today. Once the tea and pork buns were served, Mama Higurashi took a seat across from her daughter.

"How are things?" Mama Higurashi began.

"Good. Good." Kagome was really nervous. More than nervous than she ever felt. She had hoped that her mother's presence would calm her nerves when it did nothing but make her more anxious.

"Kagome, you're shaking. Are you sure everything is alright?"

"Am I? Oh…I…I don't know if anything is wrong."

"Just start talking dear and we'll figure it out."

"Okay. Last night Inuyasha returned home from a business trip. We…uh…"Kagome blushed as she paused. "We missed each other very _very_ much. Afterwards, I…I almost told him that I loved him."

"What stopped you?"

"I can't be in love with him so soon," she yelled out, slamming her pork bun down on the plate, smashing the delicately cooked dough. "Love takes time, it needs to grow."

"True. Couples in arranged marriages can grow to love each other. Or two people who are good friends will have many years to realize the love they have for one another."

"But…I…I just can't shake these feelings I have for him. What…what does being in love feel like?"

"Oh…I don't know if I can tell you that. It's a personal thing. You could be in love with Inuyasha right now at this very moment. Love doesn't follow any schedule. If the feelings you have for him are real and deep, then you truly do love him. Simple as that."

"But with Hojo it was different."

"Hojo is different than Inuyasha, so how you fall in love will be different. How you love won't be the same."

"Well, that's true."

"I too was surprised by the moment I discovered I was in love with your father. I thought I was just elated because of the energy and passion our relationship had. I thought that if the energy died out, so would these so-called feelings of I love I thought I had for him. But it never went away and finally I admitted it to myself. And then I told him. After that, I said as often as I could."

"Do you remember who said it first, you or papa?"

"It was me. I'll never forget it. I was so nervous. I was shaking like a shoji door during a typhoon. I remember looking down at the ground, watching my feet instead of looking at him. He asked me what was wrong. And in my head, there was nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing. Then I looked up at him, smiled and told him that I loved him."

"What did he do?" Kagome wondered why she had never asked her mother about this earlier. It was so romantic.

"He flung his arms around me and held me close, laughing."

"Laughing? That doesn't seem like the response anyone would want."

"It was a joyous, relieved laugh. He too was scared. He said it back, telling me how brave I was for being able to say it first. Another reason to love me."

"Papa thought you were braver than him?"

"To love someone takes courage, and it takes so much more too actually say it. You make yourself completely vulnerable, opening yourself up wide for anything, the good and the bad. I suspected that he loved me, but I had no way of knowing other than my intuition and hopes. What I did know, I told him."

"Wow."

"When he was in the hospital, the head injury caused him to recalled upon random memories and mix them up. He said that Souta made a beautiful miko. And that you needed to lay off the sake and mah jong. However, some memories he recalled so clearly. That was one of them. He laughed at me once again. That same beautiful laugh, and called me the strongest woman he had ever met in his life, you of course, came in a close second."

"Mama…" her saddened voice trailed off. How could her mother recall those mournful memories and still smile? Kagome felt herself to be on the verge of tears.

"You see Kagome, even as he was dying, the love we had for each other was still strong, he was able to laugh like that, despite the pain, despite knowing that that was his last moment. I had to laugh with him."

Kagome shook her head. "I don't think Inuyasha and I are like that. He's really given me no indication that he _loves_ me, likes me, yes."

"Inuyasha may be more protective of his feelings that others. He's had a tough life. But, he'll be more open with you once he knows exactly how you feel."

"I guess this is what they mean by putting your heart out on your sleeve."

"You've never been one to shy away from your feelings before. Be yourself. Be the Kagome I know. It's the only way to know for sure.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome nodded to the waiter as he showed her to her table. All of her friends were already there. It was so unlike her to be the last one, especially since the reservations were under her name.

"Finally, I'm starving," Eri moaned, folding her menu shut as she had decided what she was going to eat the moment she walked into the door.

"Give Kagome some time to look over the menu, "Ayumi instructed the always rushing Eri.

Kagome shook her head. "Actually, it's okay. I know what I want, so if everyone else is ready, we can order. "Having eaten here before gave her that advantage.

All of the girls placed their orders before the catching up part of the meal began. It wad been agreed upon that everyone needed a drink signaling the official start of conversation. As soon as Kagome's white wine arrived, the flood gates opened.

Ayumi began as she had little to add. She was officially a stay-at-home mother, raising her children the best she could. Plans for a third child were being discussed, but Ayumi wanted them in school first so she didn't have to chase after three little hellions. Let the teachers handle them.

Yuka followed with her own tiny tale. She was being promoted at work which mostly meant more responsibilities with not enough pay. Her stay-at-home husband adopted a cat and a few approved hobbies. It seemed he was a natural at water coloring and Yuka enjoyed the idea of him being able to have his thing independent of her.

"Kagome, why don't you go next," Ayame suggest as she didn't want to talk next and knew that Eri was ready to point her finger at the wolf demoness.

"I really don't have much to say. There was an inspection by the health department at work the other day. We passed."

Eri rolled her eyes. "You've been living with Inuyasha for half a year now and not once have you shared any juicy or kinky tales of your romps."

"really, there isn't much to say. By being together, we do see more of each other, unless he's out of town."

"But the sex," the anthropologist-in-training whined. "Where's the sex?"

"I already told you that I wouldn't tell you about it." Panic suddenly ripped though Kagome. She glanced over at Sango. "Unless Inuyasha has been talking to Miroku."

Sango shook her head, replying, "You think that pervert hasn't tried. I bet he's trying to acquire some black market youkai grade sake to loosen Inuyasha's lips."

"There. If Inuyasha isn't talking, then neither am I."

"At least we know now that you're finally getting some," Eri joked. "Unlike with Hojo who failed miserably as a man." She missed the hesitant look on Kagome's face.

"Hojo…" she breathed the name out.

Ayame caught it. "What about Hojo, Kagome?" She was curious. If anything was as wonderful with Inuyasha as Kagome was claiming it was, she'd never had said Hojo's name like that.

"Hojo." Kagome plainly said his name, staring at the pale wine in her glass. "I quickly forgot about him until recently." She ghost of a smile tugged at her lips before it fell into a frown. "I saw him the other night."

That statement alone was enough to silence the entire table. Kagome felt that I would be best to tell them all about it. "It was a few nights ago, Inuyasha was out of town and the restaurant was really busy, so I went in to help out."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Here is your change. I hope you two have a wonderful evening. Thank you."

The elderly couple smiled and nodded at Kagome as they bundled up in their coats, clutching onto their doggie bags. It was a chilly evening, one reason why everyone was filling up the restaurant. Tuesdays were not normally this busy. Kagome really wanted to know what was bringing them in tonight, so she could find a way to repeat it. This was good for business.

Taking advantage of a lull, she organized the cash in the drawer and the menus. She didn't work nights anymore as she had Bankotsu take care of the evening shift and closing duties. Rin had taken the night off, having plans with Sesshoumaru, something about skiing. Rin confessed to Kagome that she wasn't into snow and didn't even know how to ski, but that they were staying at some spendy cabin with a fireplace and a hot springs.

Kagome rolled her eyes at Rin's excited attitude for her little trip. Speaking of trips, Inuyasha was out of town for a business trip, leaving Kagome able to fill in for Rin. It wasn't like Kagome and Inuyasha never did those things, they had their little romantic interludes, so she allowed Rin to take one for herself. Not that she could've stopped Rin from going. Who wanted a confrontation with Sesshoumaru?

Feeling the presence of a customer, Kagome gathered her thoughts and readied her smile as she began her duties as hostess once again. "Hi, welcome to _Ken_…_Sen_…" her voice trailed off as the menus she had grabbed fell out of her hand.

"Kagome," the familiar voice said cheerfully, "Hi."

"Hojo," she said with disbelief. She blinked a couple of times. It really was him. "Uh…hi," she replied back. Boy she felt really stupid. "How are you?"

"Good. I'm doing really well."

"I heard about your drug. Congratulations. I hear it's been really successful."

"Yes, I've been very lucky."

"Not luck. You…you were always working on it, never giving up."

"It was..still is very important to me."

"Of course. Ah, sorry, how rude of me. Here to eat? One?"

"Hojo, there you are."

Another familiar sounding voice.

Kagome looked in the direction of the person who spoke. Everything stopped for Kagome at that very moment. Walking up to Hojo was a woman Kagome never expected to see ever again in her entire life.

"The bathrooms in this place were all filled up. Did you get us a table yet?"

"Kikyou, you remember Kagome, don't you?"

Kikyou glanced over at Kagome. She eyed the young woman in front of her and sighed. She brushed her hands along her billowy white silk blouse down to where it was tucked into her wide leg trouser pants. Kikyou brushed back her silken straight hair as she looked over at Hojo. "Not really."

"Really? She was the one who was training to become a cook."

Kikyou nodded without breaking out a smile. She turned to Kagome and offered a little grin. "Well, it looks like you're almost there."

Kagome quickly opened her mouth to offer Kikyou a retort or two, but immediately snapped it shut when Kikyou lurched forward, grabbing a hold of her abdomen. Hojo was at her side, his hands on Kikyou's back and over her other hand.

"Kikyou? Kikyou honey, are you alright?"

Kikyou looked up at Hojo, taking his hand into hers and giving it a good squeeze before patting his hand on her belly. "It's okay…he's awake and very hungry."

Kagome could only watch the scene unfold in front of her as her heart twisted into a painful knot. She clutched onto the menus she had recovered. It was then she noticed the matching wedding bands on their fingers. Hojo had married Kikyou and together they were having a child. Hojo was having a child with Kikyou because he couldn't have one with Kagome.

It really was her.

"A table for two and a half," Kagome said with forced enthusiasm.

Kikyou shook her head. "No, I'm not feeling well. Anata, let's head home. Your mother said she had made rice and her miso soup for me."

"Sure." Hojo planted a kiss on her forehead. "Sorry Kagome, looks like we won't be staying."

"Are you okay? Do you need some water?"

"No thank you, but I think I'll go talk to my doctor and not a waitress." Kikyou looked up at Hojo. "Hojo, please…"

"Of course," he said, escorting his pregnant wife out of the restaurant without another word to Kagome.

Kagome watched them leave, her heart pounding heavily in her chest as her mind was flooded with not so happy thoughts about how much of a woman she wasn't. She was glad another group of patrons walked in to distract her from what had just happened. There was later to dwell on it.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"So that was that. Nothing was said about me or my leaving him, nothing. A big fat ol' nothing…so yeah…"

"Talk about awkward," Eri sang out as she downed the last of her drink.

Ayumi sighed, slightly shaking her head as she smiled. "Of course he had nothing to say. He moved on with his life. Got married, kids. You've moved on too Kagome."

"Are you…jealous?"

Kagome didn't immediately acknowledge Sango's question. "At the time I wasn't. I think I was just too shocked by the whole thing." Kagome glanced down at her lap. "I was lucky Inuyasha wasn't home. Seeing Hojo and Kikyou together like that, I was happy for him that he was able to get past what I did to him, but, I was reminded about the reason why I had to leave. I cried so hard that night. Then I spent the next day cleaning up so he couldn't smell the tears. But…yeah…I am a little jealous."

"He needs to know," Sango told Kagome firmly. Sango knew about how Kagome liked to keep things to herself so she didn't cause others to feel any negative emotions. Kagome had no plans to ever reveal any of this to Inuyasha. And maybe that was the right idea for now. Neither Inuyasha nor Kagome were secure enough to share those types of topics with each other. But when they reached that point, Kagome had to tell him everything.

"I-I can't. At least, not yet. I haven't sorted my feelings out on the matter. I should be happy for him, right? After doing what I did to him, he deserves to be happy. It looked like he was in love with her too. He obviously cares for her. They…they're going to be a family.

"Do I even have a right to feel anything? I'm not really sure why I cried. I just couldn't prevent the tears. The next day, after I slept, I was totally fine. Hojo and Kikyou never occupied my mind after that."

"Kagome, how can you torture yourself like this?" Yuka cried out. "How do you know that he didn't search you out and was waiting for that perfect moment to throw this into your face?"

"Yuka, Hojo was never like that and you know that." Kagome knew that she didn't need to defend Hojo. He hadn't changed one bit since high school. That was something that they had all complimented on about him, his stability.

Sango leaned toward the center of the table. "How is your relationship with Inuyasha then?"

"Fine."

"Just fine?" Sango pressed.

"Yeah. Why-why do you ask?" Now she was scared.

"Because the reason why you aren't so affected by Hojo and Kikyou as you think you should be is that you moved on, but to add to that, your feelings for Inuyasha are very real and are strong."

Kagome's face burned from the glares of all of her friends. She reached up and tugged at the collar of her shirt. The garment was tight, and – was it getting warmer in here?

"Ka-go-me is in love," Eri squealed out earning smiles from everyone.

Kagome gazed down at her lap as her fingers played with the hem of the tablecloth. She blushed hard. "I'm…I'm not so sure about that," she replied meekly.

"You mean…" Sango started to ask but stopped. Somehow she felt like she shouldn't ask. She knew how private of a person Inuyasha was and this was definitely intruding in territory she shouldn't be encroaching on.

"I'm just not sure," Kagome confessed. The conversation with her mother had helped, but she still had those doubts. Something was holding her back from declaring how she truly felt about Inuyasha.

"What do you mean?" Ayumi asked, genuinely concerned. Kagome was never one to be so confused about her feelings.

"That's what I mean. I think I love him, but, then I start asking myself a ton of questions that I know are pointless and most likely insignificant, but…" she let out a sigh. "I don't know if I'm waiting to hear it from him first."

Sango shook her head sadly. "He won't. That's not Inuyasha."

"I know. Given his past and his trust issues…And maybe this is why I'm so confused. Inuyasha is only forthcoming on a handful of emotions: anger, hunger, and sleep."

Ayame chuckled. He sounded a lot like someone she was married to. Must be general male youkai egos.

"Sounds like you are saying you can't love him unless he loves you first," Sango commented as she flagged down the waiter for a refill of her drink. "Hojo said it first, didn't he?"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, I believe he did." In fact, she really couldn't remember the first time they shared their 'I love you's'. It was just that one day, they were saying to each other.

"It's easy to love someone that you want to love and says that they love you," Sango said with some strain in her voice. "And it's hard to love someone that you're just not so sure about because they haven't said anything to indicate one way or the other."

"Is it wrong to feel like that? Is it wrong to be cautious? A part of me wants to protect myself, guard my heart and then I just want to stand on his balcony and scream it out to all of Tokyo, letting it echo off Fuji-sama that I love him and that's…that's why I'm so afraid.

"It's too soon. Right? I…I don't think…no…I-I can't think…"

The girls remained silent as Kagome struggled to figure her feelings out. It was hard to watch their friend wrestle with her emotions. Her emotions were so strong, ran so deep, that they knew how hard this was for her. What they all knew but didn't want to voice was that Kagome was madly crazy in love with Inuyasha, even more so than she could realize. Her struggle had to do more with the depths of her feelings rather than her shallow doubts.

"I'm sorry. I'm totally putting a damper on our evening. These dinners are supposed to be fun and lighthearted and I'm being way too serious."

"Don't worry about it. We get together because we are friends and this is what friends do. You out of all of us should know better. Think back to everything we've been through. There was all that Kouga-Ayame drama that they put you in the middle of, my feminism, Ayumi's uh…her homemaker pacifism, Eri's sexism and Sango's eh…whatever thingie with Miroku. Why shouldn't we help you?"

"There are much better ways to spend a Thursday night than deciphering my feelings," Kagome offered as her only defense.

"I don't think so."

Eri leaned over towards Kagome, "If you really feel bad about it, I'm sure you could make it up to us with those custard-chocolate-coconut bars you made for the New Year's. A dozen for each of us sounds reasonable."

"Are you blackmailing me?"

"No. I wouldn't do that. More like trying to help you pay off your guilty conscience for your own sanity because Kami-forbid _you_ ever feel guilty."

"Ooh…a guilty Kagome is a scary Kagome," Ayumi teased before sipping on some of her water.

"You still can't remember that!" Kagome cried out, slamming her hands onto the table.

"Remember what?" Sango and Ayame asked in unison. Both shocked by it, they looked at each other and laughed.

"First year of secondary school, when Hojo was in his final year, he and another boy both had crushes on Kagome."

"Oh no…" Kagome groaned, sinking deeper into the chair trying to hide.

"The other boy was a first year like us, I think, different class though. Poor Kagome, she was nice to both of them, accepting their little gifts and all that. Some would've thought she was two-timing, but not our sweet innocent completely naïve oblivious Kagome.

"Nope, she pulled double duty so she wouldn't hurt their feelings," Yuka said as she recalled a tale from their past when it was just the four of them.

"But you ended up with Hojo. The prom," Sango said remembering what Kagome had told her during their sessions together.

"Yes, she went to the dance with Hojo and one reason she agreed was because the other guy was out of town. Eventually, they both found out. Hojo, being the gracious blockhead he is, oh, he was kinda jealous, but not really. He didn't show it if he was and he was."

Eri pointed at Yuka. "He was never jealous, he just thought Kagome was being nice." She had to correct that tiny misperception.

"And the other boy?"

Yuka turned to Ayame, motivated to finish the story. "Pledged his undying love to Kagome, asking her to be with him for all of eternity and that meant for each and every single one of their reincarnations at a sumo wrestling match that they had televised on that jumbo television screen downtown."

Kagome shook her head, bringing her hands up to her face to hide her embarrassment. "Oh…so bad…I just went to the library once…_once_ with him to help him with a class and since it was late, we had dinner together. And at dinner, we studied. I was supposed to tutor him afterwards, but it never worked out. I really had no idea he felt like that for me until…oh…why did you guys have to bring that up again?"

Ayame glanced at the four old school friends grinning as she asked, "So, where does the guilt part come in?"

"Oh right. SO the audience all thought that he and Kagome truly loved each other, not realizing that she had no idea about his feelings and having no feelings for him, Kagome had to turn him down…so- she faked an illness."

Kagome shamefully nodded. "My grandfather…He picked the illness. And out of all of the diseases, he chose scabies.

A chorus of 'ews' rang out. Kagome just nodded along with them in agreement. It was really disgusting.

"Yeah, and he had to describe to anyone who asked how my whole body was infected. Probably the single most embarrassing moment of my life. And yet, I felt so bad because I really had no feelings for him…so I had to say no."

"And you spent the next three months trying to make him feel better about himself. You baked cakes, rolled sushi, created unnamed foods…Oh it was bad."

Sango stared wildly at Kagome, taking in all of this newest info on her friend. That girl really hated to hurt anyone's feelings. This went beyond what she had originally thought. Now she understood Kagome's reluctance to share or do anything that would upset people. It was an admirable trait and a wholly harmful fault.

Finally, the rest of the evening went on as usual with Eri being the entertainment during dessert. Kagome's questioning of her feelings of love left her for now. It was a decision she knew she had to make for herself, and it was a decision she knew she had to make soon.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Fuck."

"Inuyasha…"

"What?"

Miroku raised his hands up in defense. "Nothing…just…I think it's my turn."

"Keh." Inuyasha stomped over to his seat and sat down, slouching against the wooden back of the chair. Grabbing the tall thick glass of beer, he slung back a couple of gulps before slamming the glass back down onto the table. "Just go already."

"Take a fuckin' chill pill mutt face. We've got a few hours to kill before they are done," Kouga explained as he stirred the straw around in his drink – a non-alcoholic kind. He had leaned the hard way that, for him, it was impossible to hide that he had drank alcohol. Being the alpha male he was, he was forced to ask Ayame permission to consume liquor. He had made a mistake a long time ago and this was the result of that tiny mess up.

He meeting with Miroku and Inuyasha like this on a monthly basis was a result of pure coincidence. Each of their significant others needed a ride to a restaurant and they all showed up at the same time.

Inuyasha grumbled about the fact that they met once a month to most likely talk about each other's sex lives and laugh. Miroku looked as if he was going to cry and Kouga he had no reason to worry. They ended up going to the bar and grill across the street, eating and drinking their way through the wait. When it was time to go, they all ended up agreeing that there was no reason they couldn't be like the women and have their own boy night. Of course, the ladies could never know about it. There was no reason to either. Especially for Inuyasha and Kouga, whose abhorrence for each other was well known among the ladies. Like the girls could ever believe that they were able to coexist peacefully in the same room for more than five minutes.

The bar was not far from the Italian restaurant selected for the evening's festivities. It was only recently that Kouga was told where it was they went and he was acting on his best behavior not to ruin this unfettered access to his mate's location. He had convinced her that knowing where she was at was instinctual for him, to protect her and she had to obey, so she did.

The boys were involved in a game of darts, a game that right now, Inuyasha was struggling with. Normally, he was very competitive, especially with Kouga around. Tonight, he was the opposite; unfocused, sorely distracted and above all, he was thinking hard. Inuyasha only did thinking about work, and work he only did at the office or at the office in his apartment. And Miroku knew what was going on at work with Inuyasha; the research projects and the lab remodel. He was thinking something else.

"Inuyasha, your turn," Miroku quietly stated, motioning to the darts scattered within the hanyou's reach.

"I just went," he roughly barked back.

"You did, on your last turn. Both Kouga and I have already had our turns."

Inuyasha glanced at the two males. Sighing, he grabbed the plastic tipped darts. Taking a peek at the score, his mouth fell open before he snapped it closed, his fangs grinding. That couldn't be right. He was losing…badly – pretty fucking badly. There was at least a one hundred point gap between him and the other two.

"What the fuck," he yelled out at the board. He threw the dart – no aiming – at the circular board, only to watch as it completely missed, adding more fuel to his anger.

"Shit," he huffed, throwing the other two darts with one grabbing a three and the other a five before he marched to his chair and slumped back down in it.

"Inuyasha, is there something bothering you?" Miroku cautiously asked, scooting his chair in a direction away from the irate hanyou.

"Of course something's bothering dog shit here. He's acting like a total boner. He's not fun."

"Shut your fuckin' trap wolf."

"All bark and no bite," Kouga teased, dodging a sharp swipe at his head. "And slow."

"I don't have time for you fuckheads."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…sit you mangy ass down." Kouga had shot up out of his chair in time to grab Inuyasha's shoulder and keep the hanyou seated so he couldn't leave. "Something's up. Spill."

Inuyasha reluctantly sighed, running a trembling clawed hand through his silver bangs. He opened his mouth, but clamped it shut. Males don't talk about this. Men don't talk like girls do. They cuss, drink and beat the crap out of each other, right?

"Nothing," he murmured, avoiding purple and blue glares.

"You moping around like a little lost puppy isn't nothing," Miroku stated with more concern in his voice than he had intended. If Inuyasha knew that they were both worried about him, Inuyasha wouldn't talk.

"Is Kagome getting stale in the sack?"

Inuyasha growled at Kouga. "No," he quickly shot out.

"Just curious. There was a time when I wanted to do her, but never did. I've heard that human females can get pretty boring."

Miroku just shrugged his shoulders. He'd never been bored with any of the ones he'd been with, though he was sure Kouga was referring to monogamous relationships. All of them were in one, though Miroku suspected he was the one with the most experience with women.

"Then what stinky bug demon crawled up your ass?"

"Just…"his voice trailed off as he seriously considered talking about this, out loud. "What's next?"

"What's…next…?" Miroku repeated the question somewhat dumbfounded by it.

"Yea…we live together, a routine has developed…everything is fine. So, what's next?"

"Follow that song 'first comes love, then comes marriage…" Kouga suggested more as a joke, chuckling at the absurdity of following the advice of a human children's song.

Miroku didn't find it a joke at all. He looked over at Inuyasha and calmly asked, "Do you love Kagome?"

Love?

He hadn't ever really thought about love. It was such a human thing to worry about. Yet, he was half human. Did that mean he was affected by love completely, or only partially?

"Can demons…love?" Inuyasha asked Kouga.

Kouga sighed. He actually had to think about it. What was love? He knew the definition of it. But, were his desires to protect his family and friends, his mate's attractiveness and the need to shelter and feed his pack love or instinct? True, not all youkai were like his kind, but, it could be a species trait.

"Honestly, I don't know."

"You really don't pay attention to Sango, do you?"

"Why? Should I?"

"Yes, because she has talked about this. Basically, she says youkai do feel and this makes them capable of love. However, she warned that youkai have an instinct to reproduce that's much stronger than a human's and that drive can be confused for love."

"So…I can love?" Why was he asking that? He had not doubts that he loved his mother. But that was parental love. What he felt for Kagome…that was different…deeper…

"You love Kagome and haven't told her yet, but you want to but are afraid to say it without knowing her feelings?"

Inuyasha and Miroku both stared wide-eyed at the wolf demon, their blank faces showing none of the surprise they felt. Kouga was either lucky, or a lot smarter than he looked.

"Feh," Inuyasha grumbled at Kouga's dead on analysis.

"Can't you…sense it-smell it?"

"I'm not really sure Miroku. I think I can…I can sense happiness, sadness, anger…but is that love or just…I just don't get the crazy wench."

"You either tell her or you don't. I know Ayame won't tell me one goddamned thing about what they gossip about. She's fuckin tricky like that. Women."

"Be the strong one Inuyasha."

Inuyasha narrowed his golden eyes at Miroku. "You first."

Miroku sheepishly laughed. "This isn't about Sango and I."

"I forgot, she's the man in your relationship."

"Yes, well, though I have the penis…perhaps that will be a discussion for next month."

Inuyasha understood. "Sucks not knowing."

"Bunch of pansies you humans and hanyou are."

"Fuck that. Bet you didn't have the balls to say it first."

"Whatever mutt-face."

"Want me to ask?" Inuyasha's eyes hinted at something very sinister.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

It was one of those nights, a quiet Saturday night, just the two of them, music softly playing in the background as he sat against the side of the bed, reading, dressed in flannel pajama bottoms while she, dressed in one of his t-shirts sat on the bed idly brushing his hair. They were both content like this…almost.

Kagome wasn't really paying much attention to what she was doing. The action of brushing his hair became robotic as her mind wandered. She couldn't even tell if she was really brushing his hair or not, though she sometimes caught onto the sensations of his silky strands sliding through her fingers.

"Inuyasha?"

"Mmm?"

"Come up on the bed."

"Just a sec…" he mumbled as he finished the page he was reading. When done, he snapped the borrowed book closed and climbed onto the bed. "So…"

"Oh, lay down," Kagome instructed him as she crawled over to her nightstand. "Eri got me a book."

"Eri…a book? I'm scared now. I didn't know she knew how to read. When did she learn?"

Kagome rolled her eyes at his attempt at a joke. "Yes, she is a sex-fiend book worm."

"How about she just gives ya videos instead of books?"

Kagome had to shake her head. "You wouldn't like her porn."

"Feh. Why not?"

"It's girl porn."

"Lesbians?"

"No, not exactly," she replied shaking her head. "Woman's porn is different. There's sex and a plot."

"The porn Miroku has has a plot."

"One that makes sense?"

"Nope."

"That's the difference. Guys like the sex, girls like the build up that comes with the story." Kagome settled down on the bed with the book Eri had given to her to borrow. "Lay down on your stomach."

Inuyasha reluctantly obeyed. Once he was comfortable, Kagome took hold of all of his hair and gently set if off his back. She sat down on his butt, straddling his sides. Picking up a little plastic bottle, she squirted the oily liquid into her hands, rubbing them together to warm the lotion up.

Kagome concentrated on doing the proper moves she had read about in the book Eri passed along. This one wasn't as shocking as the previous ones. This one was more subdued, but the sensuality was there.

It was easy to get lost in the rhythmic motions of rubbing and kneading the knotted muscles of his lean, smooth back. Her mind easily made its way into the territory of those thoughts that she didn't want to think about.

_Like. Lust. Love._

_I think I love him. But is this just love or just…I don't know. I get so confused. But, most of the time I feel like I really do love him. I can't imagine not being with him, nor can I imagine what it would be like not to even have him as a friend. Those six months were hard._

_I…I want to love him. I believed that I love him, but why can't I just say it. Why am I so afraid of saying it? My friends say it's because I'm scared that he might not love me back. I think…no…I would break apart if he didn't feel for me what I feel for him._

_I can say it when I'm alone._

_I love you Inuyasha._

_My heart hurts. Is it because I love him too much, or because I haven't told him yet? Do I really need to tell it to his face? Can't I just prove my love to him through my actions? What makes saying it so different than showing it?_

_Anyone can say it without really feeling it? Would he even believe me if I told him? And Inuyasha doesn't really seem like the type of guy that's all into being touchy-feely with his emotions. He is a man of action._

_Maybe I could somehow analyze his actions? No, I couldn't. I don't have that kind of training. What can I do to somehow convince myself that he has feelings for me? What can I say…_

"Kagome?"

"Eh. What?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah" She cleared her throat. "Yes. Why?"

"You stopped. Thought you fell asleep on me there for a second."

"Oh. Sorry."

Inuyasha turned and sat up such that Kagome was still straddling his legs. "All right, what the hell is going on?" He asked softly.

She cast her eyes down onto the bed. "Nothing."

"Bullshit. You've been …distracted for the past two weeks."

"Really, it's nothing, just-"

"Don't say it. It's not work. I know it's not work. So what is it then?"

"I…" Kagome tried to pull away, but Inuyasha took a tight grip on her arms, rendering her immobile. She couldn't run away now. "I…"

"Tell me Kagome." His voice was soft and desperate.

_Why is this hard? I feel the urge to just cry, but I'm not sad._

"Please."

The soft pleading of his voice hit her hard in her heart. Did he know? No. Sango, none of other friends would've told him. So why…why did it seem like he knew?

"I'm scared," she whispered out, unsure that she even spoke the words at all.

"Why?" he asked just as quietly.

"Because…" She looked up at him, her stormy eyes searching his golden pools for everything she needed from him. "I-I love you so much, it frightens me."

Inuyasha remained completely still. He stared at her, watching as every single emotion she could feel flashed through her eyes in a second. He matched every one of her emotions with his own, filling up his heart, and if he had one, his soul. Words he never thought he would ever hear were spoken to him by the one person in the world that mattered most to him.

His silence, his blank stare, it all unnerved her. She imagined he would be a little shocked by her sudden confession, but this…this was the worst. No reply at all.

She turned away to hide the tears she couldn't hold back. When if first dawned on her that she was most likely in love with the hanyou, she told herself that if he allowed it, she would be with him for as long as he wanted her. If this was no though…"You…you don't have to love me back. I…it's too soon. Bad timing. I-"

Soft, forceful lips quickly shut her up. Saying those words too so much strength that she had none left. Kagome fell into his warm and welcoming embrace, his arms engulfing her in the security she needed.

He loved her. She knew it. The kiss. She could feel it there and in his touch and…she couldn't describe it, but a sixth sense confirmed it. He didn't have to say it, she understood that now. The words itself paled in comparison to the actions and feelings love instilled in each other.

They fell over sideways as they decided to show these feelings of love to one another. Inuyasha could feel love, not just instincts. His mother had told him that one day he would find another girl that he would love more than she. Now he had and she loved him back.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Ever since her little confession there was a dramatic change in their relationship. Everything they said or did had more depth and meaning. And they looked different towards each other. Was this the affect love had?

It was now Monday. The whole rest of the weekend was a blur. Inuyasha had left for work, leaving Kagome alone to sleep in. She never slept in too late, as she liked to get up and work out. There were meetings for her to attend in the afternoon, but a little extra sleep never hurt anyone.

Reluctantly she crawled out of the warm bed so had spent all Sunday in. Stumbling her way into the bathroom, she groaned when the lights flickered on, temporarily burning her still sleepy eyes.

Staring at herself in the mirror, she did something she hadn't done since high school; she _really_ looked at herself. Inuyasha had been caught mumbling 'beautiful' several times during the night. Normally she would turn away, blushing at his use of such a profound statement.

_Why can't I see what he sees?_

Raven locks that he considered soft and lush, she knew them to be stringy and course. She never could do what she wanted with her hair. And in the morning, it was nothing but a horrible mess that took her forever to tame. If it looked wild and free, then that meant she lost the battle.

She wasn't gifted with the pale, flawless skin revered by men. As a child, she was a free spirit, always running around the Shrine and the playgrounds. Her darker complexion, dust she couldn't wash off despite her obsession with cleanliness and baths.

Her smile, her nose, the shape of her body, the largeness of her butt and things, that tiny flab around her belly button that mocked the number of crunches she forced herself to do, her knobby knees, the way her collarbone jutted out, and…when did her breasts shrink? Like she could afford to lose those. Any smaller and people would mistake her for a high school student.

Glancing back at her reflection, she looked at and then into her own eyes. Strange for a Japanese girl to have such light colored eyes. And so wide. She was stuck between shock and surprise.

Looking at herself looking like this, it made her feel so…so…Falling onto her hands and knees, Kagome quickly crawled her way in time to the toilet, grateful for once that Inuyasha left the toilet seat up as she coughed and heaved. Foul smelling acidic contents clawed its way up her throat and out of her mouth.

Everything from last night came hurling out. Her eyes watered, her throat burned and her body shivered from contact with the cool ceramic flooring. She gripped tightly to the edge of the toilet bowl as her body violently rid itself of whatever it was that was making her sick.

Once her body and stomach calmed, Kagome spit several times to rid her mouth of the nasty bile taste in her mouth. Crawling still, she reached out for the hand towel sitting on the sink, wiping away, saliva, and vomit from her lips.

Standing up on weak legs, she quickly brushed her teeth. She stripped off the shirt she had worn to bed, and skipping the shower, she dipped herself into the hot water of the bath.

As she took several deep breaths to relax, Kagome wondered what it was that was making her sick so suddenly. No one at work was ill and Inuyasha was never sick. Maybe she was the first one to be hit with a bug. The longer she sat in the water, the better she started to feel. When she finally got out of the bath, she was feeling better than fine.

The day went on as it would. Whatever it was, it was over with.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

But it wasn't.

Day after day, she would wake up in a rush to make it to the bathroom before she made a mess in the bedroom. Once her stomach had ejected all of its partially digested contents, she cleaned up and spent the rest of day fine, as if she hadn't been sick at all.

After the fourth day of this, she really began to worry that something was really wrong with her. Why was she only ill in the morning, right when she woke up? So sick…in the morning…only in the morning…sick…

Kagome gasped. No, it couldn't be. It just couldn't. Carefully scrambling out of the tub, she raced over to her cell phone, dripping water in her wake. She quickly called her gynecologist and made an appointment with her doctor as soon as they could fit her in.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

He told himself that he'd never _ever_ come here, even if he was offered items such as untold riches or unobtainable knowledge. However, those untold riches ended being a stubborn, fiery wench that loved women, a woman he couldn't deny and one that was the cause for him standing here now, at this place he'd told himself he'd never go to.

He'd never been here before, but knew of it and ignored it as much as he could. So, after today, once he stepped outside the boundary lines, he would make a new promise never to step foot here again.

The door opened and Inuyasha's body stiffened at the sight of his glaring and obviously upset brother. Sesshoumaru arched a brow at the presence of his brother's at his clan's estate. The land owned by their father was leased to big businesses, one way the family earned money. The residence of Sesshoumaru Takahashi was the main house, the one he grew up in.

Inuyasha had never been welcomed to the estate. When their father married and mated with Izayoi, they opted to live in a smaller place instead of the lavish estate. Once he died, Izayoi continued to raise Inuyasha in their home, never seeking out the place that she should've lived in. Sesshoumaru and the elder council members of their dog clan would never allow a human whore and her hanyou son inside their precious and protected property. Inuyasha knew of the rules. And by standing on his doorstep, he was breaking that little rule. He was curious as to why Inuyasha would do such a thing. Curiosity killed the cat, but never the dog.

"I want my mom's stuff," Inuyasha just came out with it. He wanted to make this trip as quick as possible.

"Why?"

"I don't have to tell you why asshole."

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes even more at the hanyou. "I require an explanation, one that properly describes your reasoning for disturbing me and demanding for items which are in my possession."

"They are rightfully mine. Pop gave them to my mother, not you or your mom," he yelled out at his brother as his youkai flamed with anger.

"These things you speak of were returned to the house to which they belong. Father may have them to Izayoi, but he did so without consulting the other members of the clan, so once the weak human died, they were returned."

"Fuck politics. You stole them from her only hours after her soul left her body you grave robber."

"You have no need for such worthless trinkets."

"I do," he gritted out, trying to keep his youkai at bay.

"Oh. And what reason would you, a lowly hanyou have for a woman's necklace? Cross-dressing?"

"No," he barked out. "It's…it's not for me."

"The fan? The comb? The wooden box? The wedding gifts father gave to Izayoi."

"I know what they are. You have no fuckin' right to them to begin with." He was reading to just try to take his brother out right here. Damn everything, he didn't care right now.

"They are all sacred pieces handed down from one generation to the next for as long as our clan as ruled over the Western lands. I am the only member of this generation, therefore, I have all the rights I need."

"Only if you plan on getting hitched."

"So, you have read our laws. Then you know that you have no right to them unless you plan on getting married."

"I am." His voice was firm, strong and held conviction.

"You truly plan on cursing that human female?"

"Why do you fuckin' care?"

"You love her?"

"What do you know about love? I thought full-blooded youkai didn't feel."

"I am not an animal. And unlike humans, I have control over my emotions. Besides, don't you have father's blood flowing through you?"

Inuyasha was shocked by Sesshoumaru's question as it had much more meaning that what he had asked. He stood there frozen unsure of how to respond. Should he answer the real question or the one underlying it?

"If what I saw between him and Izayoi was real, then he was indeed strong in all aspects of life." Sesshoumaru sighed, though it went by unnoticed by Inuyasha. "You plan on marrying her?"

Inuyasha nodded. "I love her with my entire being, all my strength will be hers. My mother spoke volumes about dad's unconditional love for her and me. It's how I've been guided by him to be the best mate I can."

Sesshoumaru felt the truth in his brother's words. He hadn't been taught about love from anyone, even his father. He was raised privileged, the best of the best for the purposes of making him to be the best of the best, and yet, it was Inuyasha who had learned the best of their father had to teach them.

Sesshoumaru slammed the door shut. Inuyasha growled, stopping to sigh. Guess he would have to go out and buy a ring or something. The one instance when he had thought about getting married, he saw himself giving his mate the items his mother cherished. She said that she would give them to him to give to her future daughter-in-law when the time was right. But she died. Sesshoumaru was an asshole. And Kagome deserved more than what he could offer her. It was time to go back home.

As he turned to leave, the door opened. Sesshoumaru had returned with the hand carved wooden jewelry box in his hand. He tossed it at the hanyou before slamming the door shut once again. Inuyasha easily caught it. He ran his fingers across the carvings of sakura blossoms. Once he had touched it, when his mother showed it to him as a little boy.

The jewelry box was not a family heirloom, but something his father made specifically for his mother. The tree was the tree he had set up a picnic underneath the day he proposed to her. It was the same tree he used to run under during _hanami_.

The contents of the jewelry box were just as special as the box itself. Inside was a pearl necklace, hand crafted from the pearls of the best youkai oysters, the traditional fan a woman would hide the sleeve of her wedding kimono. The fan itself was weaved from the strands of youkai silkworms with the family crest woven into the bright red fabric. The wooden form of the fan came from the same tree that provided the scabbards to the family swords. And finally, the hair comb. It was made with the finest jade, supposedly given to Fushinrei by Saiginrou, the mythical originators of their clan.

With the wooden box in hand, he almost had everything he needed, lastly, he just had to figure out how and when he was going to ask her to be both his wife and mate.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome sat on the papered examination table, her legs swinging quickly as her fingers fiddle in her lap. She examined the calming blue walls as she tried to patiently wait for her doctor to return. Why did nurses make them wait so long for the doctor? It only served to add more anxiety to the already nerve-wrecking experience.

When the door opened, Kagome ceased her movements and smiled. The door closed and the doctor sat down in the wheeled chair. Kagome watched as the doctor opened her chart and read over whatever information they had about her. She was curious to what that chart said about her, and the results of her tests.

Kagome had come in last week to undergo a blood draw and also provided them with a urine sample. The results had come in yesterday, and today her doctor was finally going to be able to explain what was going on with her. She did her best not to think about the possible outcome of her tests by focusing on work and keeping up with her boyfriend. That hanyou energy was hard to keep up with, though it did help her sleep soundly at night.

"Morning sickness?"

Kagome was startled by the question. "Uh, maybe…It seemed to be the only reasonable explanation. I'm only sick in the morning."

"When was the date of your last cycle?"

"About a month ago, I think, give or take a few days."

"And ye are sexually active?"

Kagome nodded her head. "Yes." Wasn't that why she was here? Kagome looked around the room, searching for the heater. It had suddenly become hot in the room.

"How often?"

Kagome turned red. Yep, it was getting hot in here. "I don't know…three, four times a week." Why did she feel that a number that high made her a bad woman? And why all of the questions? She was either pregnant or not. "Um…Kaede…"

"Now child, I'm just being thorough. Okay, let's go through the history on ye. After your last attempt with in-vitro your body was an absolute mess with all of the drugs so I put ye on hormonal supplements to regulate your cycle and your overall body."

"Yes, birth control."

Kaede shook her head. "No child, I never prescribed ye birth control. The pills I gave thee are similar to birth control, however, the intention of the pill was to level out your hormone levels to be more natural. They were much to weak to prevent pregnancy."

"What? You mean…this whole time…"

"Aye. I apologize. I did not intend for ye to believe that the medicine was an actual contraceptive."

Kagome shook her head. "Maybe I just wasn't paying attention. I heard hormone and pills and…yeah…stupid me." Kagome sighed. So she knew she wasn't good with the science stuff, but that might have been a good thing after all. "So, am I pregnant or not?"

"Such a rush." Kaede flipped to another page in Kagome's file and glanced at all of the results one final time before sharing the news with Kagome.

"It's strange…" Kagome began, her mind drifting as she waited to hear the results. "I was so preoccupied with having to have a child with Hojo and we couldn't. And then with Inuyasha, I didn't dwell on the matter at all. I've just been taking things one day at a time. Mostly trying to figure Inuyasha out. He's such a complex man…"

Kaede looked at over Kagome. "Inuyasha told ye that he wanted a family?"

Kagome nodded her head. "Yeah. It wasn't like we sat down and planned things out. We were out for a walk and we ended up at the park. Some mothers were there with their children and one of them was acting up. They boy's mother was trying to gently talk her son out of his tantrum and it just wasn't working.

"That's when Inuyasha made a moment about how our children would be much better behaved. I think I just nodded my head, agreeing with him, but there hasn't been any type of real discussion on the matter. So, I can only really guess. But the fact that he made the comment is enough."

Kaede turned back to the paper's in Kagome's file. She knew Inuyasha's position on marriage and family – he wanted it all. He wanted to be the father he never had and be with a woman who would be his friend, his wife, his mate and the mother of his pups. He was, like most males, looking for a woman who was similar to his own mother. From what she knew of Izayoi, Kagome was the one.

"Are ye ready?"

Kagome shrugged her shoulders. "I guess."

"From what ye told me, neither you nor Inuyasha were actually planning for a child?"

Kagome's heart lurched up into her throat. "No, not really…or at all…" Kagome swallowed hard.

"They ye are safe. Ye are not pregnant."

"Not…pregnant." How many times had she heard those words? Seen the evidence? Felt the pain?

"The cause of ye illness was nothing more than the change of hormone dosage in the pills. Your levels are finally normalizing out to what they were before you started the in-vitro and…"she stopped when she heard the sobs.

Kagome was a sad sight. For so long she had tired, over and over again, to be with child, only to fail each and every time. It was growing more difficult to pick up the pieces of her shattered and put them back together. Even though she hadn't been actively planning to get pregnant, the dream was always there.

"Sorry…I don't mean to cry…I-I thought I was prepared for another no. I've heard it so many times before. But…what's wrong with me? Why can't I do the one thing I'm supposed to do."

Kaede closed her good eye and shook her head gently. Poor girl. This was hard to watch. Still, she had to be professional, yet gentle. "There are still many things beyond us and our abilities as doctors. We cannot have all of the answers child. That is left to the higher powers. It'd be the gods' opinion that you cannot have children, perhaps because they have something else planned for ye."

Kagome did not want to hear that. Truth or not, it crushed her soul to hear such hurtful words. To know that….Kagome pushed herself off the examination table. She sucked in the last of her sobs.

"Thank you. I…I needed to hear it. No one has every come out and told me that I'm…"

"Kagome child…"

"I'm fine. I mean, I will be. Is that it then?"

"Yes, unless ye have anymore questions."

"No."

"Then I wish ye farewell."

Kagome just left. This time, instead of walking out, she felt like running away. The need to escape the fate dealt to her was so strong. Why her? What had she done? Wasn't she born as a female to breed? Well, she didn't mean it quite like that. Yuka would smack her for thinking such a statement. Not a very feminist belief. Eri though would agree with her. Biologically, she was created, built and primed to carry a child, but, no, there was something wrong with her. A flaw…a mistake…

Broken.

She was a defective product. A deceit to her family, to Inuyasha. She was nothing but a lie. Women were tricksters. She would never be able to give Inuyasha what his heart and soul desired most. And she wanted to burn in hell for even thinking that she could give him everything.

Since she wasn't going to die anytime soon, she would do the next best thing…her own personal hell. Whatever these gods' had planned for her, she would do it knowing it would ruin the life she wanted. No one ever got what they wanted. That was the harsh reality of living. Inuyasha had known it from a young age when his mother and father both died and his brother had wanted nothing to do with him. She should've learned after the death of her father, grandfather and brother.

She had to learn her lesson the hard way. Kagome pulled out her cell phone and looked at the time. There was some grocery shopping to be done. Inuyasha was going to be home a little early tonight. It was time to start learning.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's note:** Two more chapters left. I've already started writing out Chapter 28, so, we'll see. I'm still moving into my house. I have most everything unpacked. But there are a lot of repairs and remodeling type stuff to do, so I am busy doing that.

Notes: If you find anything that I need to explain, add it here. I think I might have to explain a little about hormones, though I think I did what I needed to within the context of the story.

I really don't know what I could say about the whole love part. There is this whole thing about whether or not demons can actually love or if it's instinct. Kouga is saying its more instinct, yet Sesshoumaru says that they can feel emotions, despite the fact that he has no humanity within him. It's that as a demon, he can control his emotions versus someone like Inuyasha, who with his half humanity in him, cannot. There is a whole ton of philosophy on love and I didn't want to get too deep into it.


	28. Chapter 28

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Twenty and EightTruth: Track B**

"Hi.

"Long time. I know. I'm really sorry about that. I…I don't really have much of an excuse other than I started to actually live my life. I have a life. Well…maybe…That's why I'm here. My life got messed up again. It's really messed up.

"You're younger than me and I'm coming to you for advice…

"I'm not bothering you, am I?"

Kagome sat down, bundled tightly in warm layers as the last snowfall of the season had just started to melt away. She touched the remains of a flower she had left here. Come spring, she would return and clean it up like she normally did. Right now, it was too cold and she was much too confused.

She let out of puff of air, watching the condensed cloud rise up into the dull gray sky that hung gloomily over her. Everything was accentuated to make it just one of those days. It made it easier to do what she had to do.

"I don't mean to do this – coming to visit and talk as my life crumbles apart. It's silly to believe that…but I believe you can hear me and help me.

"I'm not doing so great. And I know it's very selfish of me to say that. Out of all of my dreams, one came true and only one. The restaurant is doing so much better than anyone expected. So that is good.

"The rest of my life is not so good. It was…it was…I love him Souta. And that makes this hurt so much. I thought I loved Hojo, and I think I did, but just more like a friendship. But Inuyasha means so much to me and I want to him give him everything.

"He had such a difficult childhood, with his parents dying at such a young age, his brother rejecting him…But that's not why I love him. I love him because he's strong and funny and smart and he listens and…and I could go on and on, but I feel like I owe him…okay, that doesn't sound like love, but I want to give him everything his heart and soul needs.

"And I can't.

"That's why it hurts Souta. I'm…I'm unable to have children. There's not a technique in the world that can help me. Not even with Inuyasha's intelligence…

"Maybe this is why the restaurant is doing so well, to counterbalance the fact that I'm barren.

"I know I was trying to ignore _it_. All of these in-vitros, I thought that if I tried hard enough, believed in them enough, then maybe I could be blessed. But I was blessed with the most amazing career. I know now that I can't have it all. No one can.

"I-I can still give Inuyasha a family, a real family. I came here to ask permission…well…maybe not permission…perhaps to get your blessing…Yes, from you. And I expect an answer. I always have, haven't I?

"When I die, we'll be complete. Did you know that? I'm sure you do. I'm sure you're waiting. I think Mama knows too. I talked to her yesterday. For the first time, I couldn't tell her everything. I know she wants me to make my own decision. But she told me that the Kami have it all worked out. She knows too, doesn't she? Just like Papa and Grandpa know too. Of course, I'm the last to know…

"Yes, Mama knows. You know, she's stopped pestering me for grandchildren. That was my sign…I just…

"I better go. It's cold. I have a lot of stuff to do. I'll tell you more about it before it happens. Okay? I miss you. Take care and say 'hi' to everyone for me."

Kagome pushed herself up. Straightening out her jacket, hat, and mittens, she smiled at the stone plaque of their family gravestone before heading out of the cemetery. If things went the way they were planned, she'd have to clean the family gravestone sooner than later.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"This?"

"Yes. I told you. That whole…pile of a mess."

"It's not much. Maybe a little more than that, but…really Kagome, are you sure you are a female?"

"Are you sure you're you?"

"Right. Anyway. I'll be back. Will you be okay alone?"

"Yeah, I'm almost done here anyway."

"Sure. Kagome?"

"What?"

"Are you sure you're sure?"

"I am."

"Okay. That's all I needed to hear."

Kagome shook her head at him. Sometimes he was so dense and oblivious and then, he could get it before anyone else. She couldn't understand him one bit. Shrugging her shoulders, she turned back to the task at hand, hoping to finish it as quickly as possible. Which wouldn't be too long. She was almost done.

"What the fuck?!"

Kagome froze. What was _he_ doing here? Now? At this time? He should still be at work. Turning, she found a snarling Inuyasha standing at the entrance to the living room, breathing much too heavily. She thanked the Kamis that she told Kouga to take the elevators.

"Inuyasha…" she breathed his name, so very afraid of it. She couldn't look at him so she kept her back to him.

He scented wolf when he arrived at his apartment building. There were no wolves living in the building. Then he trailed it up to his apartment. Kagome's sweet scent was mixed in. He feared something entirely different than what he found. Kouga could never cheat on Ayame, still, that didn't keep him from thinking it.

This was…he just…he was losing the ability to think logically. All that he could get was that Kouga was moving Kagome's belongings out of the apartment and into that mover's truck parked outside along the street.

"Were you gonna actually tell me?"

No, was what she wanted to say. Yes, she was a chicken. She wanted to be all moved out before he arrived home, call him at work and have him meet her at Sango's. Sango knew Kagome and Inuyasha were coming over, but she didn't know why. Plans changed.

"Tonight," she said quietly as she wrapped her glass bake ware up in the newspaper. Carefully putting the protected glass in the box, she figured she couldn't avoid it since he was here now.

Turning, she looked at him, doing her best to keep her emotions under control. "I'm moving."

"I can see that. Why?"

"Because I'm leaving you."

"You're-

"Yes."

"Wh-…why-…shit. What the fuck?"

"I'm not in love with you. I thought I was but it was-"

"Don't you lie to me," he growled out, stressing each word.

"Fine," she yelled, her hold on her emotions already broken down. "I'm giving you an out."

"Why would I need a fuckin' out?"

"Before things get too serious."

Inuyasha shook his head. "Make fuckin' sense, would ya?"

"I'm trying. Alright? It's hard for me to tell you that I'm no good."

"Goddamnit."

"I can't have children," she screamed out, her eyes snapped shut, her body shaking from the profound truth of the statement. Every time she said it, it hurt her more and more each time.

"Children?" he asked quietly, not expecting this to be about that. "This is about pups?"

"Yes. Yours. Ours. Well…It can't be…I thought that I was pregnant. I had all of the symptoms. I didn't think it was possible because I was on the pill. But I wasn't. My doctor confirmed it. She says that despite how normal everything seems…I'm barren. I'm completely barren."

"Your doctor is an idiot."

"It's Kaede, Inuyasha. Your Kaede. Your clinic. Your facilities."

"But I-"

"I can't. I can't stand to go through and hear that I've failed another procedure. I can't do it to myself. I can't do it to you."

"Me?"

"I can't give you what you want most in this world. I can't give you the family you want, the one you need. And I know that for you, adoption just won't fill that emptiness."

"This is no reason-"

"It's every reason Inuyasha."

"What the fuck would you know about my wants?"

"Tell me you don't want children of your own then."

Inuyasha opened his mouth to give her the answer that would make her stay, but then, he had to shut his mouth. He couldn't lie to her, or to himself. He clenched his jaw tight. The muscles in his neck stiffened, rendering him unable to say one word. Dammit, he hated how right she was about him. Still, he wasn't ever one to give up this easily.

Kagome clutched tightly onto the one item she treasured most in the world, the last item left to move out of Inuyasha's apartment, a knife set. Her family had spent an awful amount of money to get her a set of knives like these. All great chefs had a good knife set, as cutting and chopping food was Japanese cooking. It was the shield she needed right now to survive this.

"I'm sorry," Kagome whispered. Of course, Inuyasha heard her.

And she really was sorry. There was truth in her words. A low growl started rumbling in the pit of his stomach. Why did it have to come to this? Why…Of course he knew why, he was a hanyou. This was his hanyou curse.

"I'm sorry for making you believe my lies. If I'd known…it wouldn't have gotten this far."

"Of course. Regret being with a dirty hanyou."

Kagome wanted to tell him how wrong he was. She wanted to be that one that made him feel special and needed and loved. She wanted to be his. But fate denied her this dream. It wasn't meant to be.

His words hurt her. It felt like someone was punching at her heart, like a boxer hitting a speed bag. She was losing it all, her love, the life she wanted, as well as her breath. She was finding it so hard to just breathe. She gripped onto her knife set tighter, silently asking her family for help. Kagome needed all the help she could get.

"No. It's…I lead you on…I-I had no right to do what I've done. So, I'm correcting _my_ mistake. The life I want isn't going to happen and it would be wrong and selfish of me to do the same to you."

"Whatever. If you're going to go, then hurry the fuck out."

"Inu-"

"What? Huh? What!? What other shit do you have to say? Don't stick around with _your_ mistake any longer than you need to."

With cold tears streaming down her cheeks, Kagome only nodded. This was almost how she wanted it to be. She had turned it around so that he was throwing her out. She had to be – wanted to be – the bad person in this. Kagome wanted him to curse her, spit on her name for the rest of his life. This was just the beginning of her punishment. She had saved Inuyasha.

Without anymore words to be shared, Kagome dropped her knife set into the last box to be packed. She pulled out the spare key Inuyasha had given her and placed it on the table. Picking up the box, she carried it out and left. That was it. No goodbyes. No take cares.

When the door closed, she was gone.

Inuyasha wasn't sure what had happened. He felt angry, betrayed, and utterly alone. His mother's death felt like this, but now that he was older, everything felt deeper, more intensified. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, heating up his youkai blood. He tossed the wooden box he'd gotten from his brother's house against the window. The window shattered and when the box hit the floor, it broke open, scattering its contents across the floor.

A frustrated, anguish-filled, desperate, and sad howl chased Kagome into the elevator. Kouga and his brothers, her brothers, were waiting for her. Nothing was said as the box was taken from her weakened arms and she was ushered into a car, finding the warm embrace of Ayame waiting for her.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

The white flag had been waved.

Kagome surrendered.

She surrendered to her fate. To a life she didn't want, but to the one she had to live. She exhausted all of her options, as well as her heart, and this was the only choice left. No more loving a lie, no longer could she ignore the truth. This new life would free her from false hopes and set her on the path she was destined to walk.

Her career was booming. This was her life: cooking. She had sacrificed everything for this, whether she knew it or not. Kagome had to be grateful that the Kamis granted her this one wish. It was a wish she had made several times as a child when she recognized her love of food. She wanted to be the best she could and she would trade in anything for that. And that was exactly what had happened.

There were no more excuses. Not anymore.

Still, it was hard to wake up from the dream. What she had with Inuyasha was special and…Kagome clung onto her pillow she had been crying into for the last two weeks. She was in pain. Did she have to emotionally die from this before she could move on?

Could she move on…?

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Ayame shut her eyes, shaking her head gently, as she heard Kagome's sobs return again. That poor girl should've cried all of her tears out a week ago. She didn't expect Kagome to be over Inuyasha quickly, but the Kagome she knew was such a strong woman that Ayame believed that Kagome would throw all of this energy she had to cry back into her cooking. It was what she did after the death of Souta and her grandfather.

"So, can I hurt him now?"

Ayame let out a long, thoughtful sigh. She remembered that conversation. Well, it was more like her telling Kouga exactly how it was going to be back during the _hanami_. Kagome was hurting. She was a pack sister. It was Kouga's duty to do something.

"No."

Kouga whined. "But you said-"

"I said if _he _hurt her. But he didn't. They…it's a difficult situation. They hurt each other."

"Fuck the details. She left him because she loves him and she only wanted him to be happy and all he can say was that it was because he is a hanyou."

Ayame dropped the spoon she was using into the dish. "Mind repeating that Kouga dear?" she said too sweetly at her mate.

Oops. He was busted. He didn't mean to eavesdrop on their conversation, but without knowing exactly how Inuyasha was going to react, he stuck around in the emergency exit stairwell in case Kagome was in any kind of physical harm.

"I had to make sure she was safe. I owe it to Souta."

"I understand that, but, you had no right to listen in. You will have to pretend that you did not hear one word, because if I find out that you, or one of your brothers touched Inuyasha, I'll deal with each one of you personally."

Kouga gulped. "Yes ma'am."

"Besides," Ayame started to resume her dinner preparations. "I don't think Kagome would want you to hurt him. There are other ways to help Kagome out."

"And those are…?"

"If I knew, I would've tried them already. Though, I can understand how she feels."

"You can?"

"Well yeah. How do you think I would be if I ever had to give you up? Kagome is giving…too giving."

The doors suddenly burst opened with four concerned females rushing into the kitchen, each clutching onto the one thing that they did during times like these. Ayame had a bunch of unintelligible questions thrown at her before she could even welcome them.

"Quiet," she said loud enough to calm them all down. "She's upstairs crying. I called because she hasn't cooked or eaten enough or bathed or really slept for the last two weeks."

"Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Ayumi asked as she wiped the tears she had been crying the moment she received the call from Ayame.

"Kagome asked me not to. She didn't even want me to know about it, but had no choice since Kouga helped her move out."

Yuka turned to Sango. "You talk to her."

"Me? I would think I would be the last person she'd want to see."

"But you are trained. I know that sounds horrible, but your training allows you to see both sides of the situation. All I want to do is tell Kagome that Inuyasha is a dirty dog. That's she's right and we'll do anything she says just to help her get better, but even I know that's wrong."

"How is Inuyasha?" Ayumi asked as she settled on a chair around the kitchen island Ayame was working on.

Sango sighed, nibbling on her lip. "He's not good. He has said very little about it. I didn't even know anything was up until a week ago. Yesterday, when he finally spoke about it, all he said was 'betrayal sucks' and that was it. I think he is ignoring us since we are friends with Kagome. But, he's…he's hurting. You can see it in his eyes."

"Betrayal?" Eri asked as she poured herself a glass of white wine. "What betrayal? There was no betrayal here. Neither of them cheated on the other. Oh…uh oh. Maybe a betrayal of nature. That's deep."

"So, she's running away this time," Sango said as a statement she wanted everyone to hear.

Eri started to open her mouth to scream her protest, but stopped. "Hojo was an escape and this…what is this? Really? What should've Kagome done? What should she do?"

No one had an answer. It was Kagome's and Inuyasha's decision. Kagome left him. Maybe she did run away. But no one could blame her for it. All of them had to tread carefully. Ayame and Ayumi had children. They could only try to imagine their lives without their children, but they couldn't, didn't want to. Yuka could have children, and as the opposite of Kagome, chose not to have any.

Eri and Sango were in child-limbo, neither having decided on the whole children thing. Eri's main focus was school and finding the drive to finally finish her doctorate. As for Sango, there was Miroku. Miroku asked every woman he met if they wanted his children, but, sometimes, that was the only time he brought it up. Sango and him hadn't even breached the subject.

Yuka held out an empty glass for Eri to fill up. "I wouldn't say she is running away. She fought; she still could've fight, but…but why fight a battle you know you can't win. If she had to, and we all know this to be true, if Kagome continued to fight, she'd fight until she died. The fight would kill her, and she'd never see victory."

Kouga just stared at these strange women who had invaded his house. "And what about mutt-face? Takes two to make a cub."

"Kouga, dear, you don't get to talk," Ayame instructed him with more of her sweet voice.

"Woman-" Kouga stopped himself. Not in front of an audience. "Look. Kagome is my sister and I did what she asked of me. But I don't totally agree with it. Mutt-face didn't even have a chance." And with that said, he left. It was obvious they were all on Kagome's side. Not that he wanted to be on Inuyasha's side, but, if it were him, he'd want a say.

"He has a point," Sango said as she and Kirara watched the wolf-prince walk off. "I guess he would take Inuyasha's POV."

"But it's different for women," Ayumi said softly, her eyes darting up towards the ceiling. Kagome was up there, somehow, she still had found the hope to live. "Different for Kagome. She'd play-pretend cooking her children the best tasting food when we were in preschool. As girls, we are all told that we'll be mommies some day, allowing us to go to school, get a job until it's time to be that mommy. But for Kagome…no one told her differently.

"And I'm sure that seeing Hojo with his wife pregnant threw her for a loop. She's failing with everything she's ever loved."

"Isn't that a bit…dramatic?" Yuka asked before sipping some more of her wine.

"Not for Kagome. Not for any woman who can't have children and wants them. She's not the first woman to give up the man she loves so he can have a family, and she won't be the last. But…for our Kagome…we'll never have her again. She's lost. Even if she does get past this…oh, she'll hate me…"

"Ayumi?" Eri cried out as her friend broke down.

"I'm such a hypocrite. Kagome is so empty and…and I'm pregnant again. I don't think I can face her…ever…"

"No, Kagome's not like that," Yuka said calmly. They didn't need everyone in the house to become hysterical. "She'll be happy for you. But, yeah, it'll be hard for her."

"Well, I'm going to go see how she is." Sango took a plate of sandwiches that Ayame had made. Kagome hadn't eaten, which was only going to do the girl more harm.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Kagome?" Sango quietly called out, knocking and opening the door at the same time. "Kagome, someone's here to see you."

The room was dark, and even as a human, Sango could smell the scent of too many tears shed. Kirara leapt from Sango's shoulder and landed softly onto the bed, discretely padding her way over to the somber girl, curling up against Kagome's stomach.

Kagome felt the rumblings of Kirara's purr and bit back the desire to cry again. Inuyasha purred.

"She missed you," Sango began, closing the door behind her before taking a seat on the edge of the bed. "She's been hibernating in my kitchen for almost a month now. And we all know she won't eat my cooking."

There was no response from Kagome, which Sango expected. She didn't come here to listen to Kagome's tale or woe. Someone as depressed as Kagome didn't want to talk.

"Miroku invited me out to dinner the other night."

_No._

Sango had other things to talk about.

"And not just any dinner at any restaurant. Nope, he decided that it was time to go all out. He dressed up in something that was almost a tuxedo, but said he didn't want anyone to think that he was taking me to a dance.

"He ended up taking me to the Shibuya district where _La Rochelle_ is, you know, the restaurant your mentor, Sakai-san, owns. I've never had French food before. It was quite delicious. Miroku did more talking than I was used to.

"He told me that since he became serious about me, about us…well, that he hasn't been with anyone else. I knew that he liked women, lots and lots of women, so, it was a surprised to hear him confess that. Miroku not…well…yeah…he's still a pervert, but, he only sleeps with me.

And then he started to go on about-" Sango stopped. This wasn't what she needed to talk about. Miroku had told her that he wanted to make things more serious between them. But with Kagome just coming out of a relationship, topics of anyone else's relationship were off limits.

"His job," she blurted out. "I know just a little about his work, but really, I don't know his kind of science."

Miroku's job was also off topic.

"We went to _KenSen_ the other day. Things seem to be going really well. We missed you there. It's just not the same place without you there. It really does need some new recipes."

Sango was here to reaffirm Kagome's life. Kagome had a life, one she needed to be aware of. One that she needed to start living again. There was no way she was going to be better by hiding in this room crying all day and all night.

"Or a new project. Show us what else you can do with those culinary skills of yours. It would be neat to see your name plastered on some label. Then I could tell all of my patients about it. Tell them about how awesome you are, the diversity of your talents."

Sango now realized that she wasn't even sure if Kagome was awake or not as she couldn't hear anything coming from the distraught shell of a being. But since Kirara didn't do anything to alert her to any dire problems, she was sure that, in that particular regard, Kagome was fine.

"I have to be going. Kirara is going to say. She isn't too fond of Miroku's place. Oh, Ayame and Moriko made some snacks. Moriko is trying out her chef skills and wants to know what a real chef thinks about them. I hope to see you again soon Kagome."

Sango said her goodbyes and left her demon cat to comfort the poor girl. She hoped she did okay. All she had to do was show Kagome that she still had a restaurant to run, as well as the endless culinary opportunities she could invent.

The other girls were waiting for her in the kitchen, already discussing Ayumi's pregnancy, though, that conversation ceased the moment Ayame sensed Sango's arrival into the kitchen.

"Ayame, I left Kirara with her. If Kagome reaches a point where medical attention is needed, she'll alert you. I left the snacks up there for them to share. I doubt Kagome will let Kirara go hungry."

"Sure."

"How is she?" Eri asked what they all wanted to know.

"Not good. I talked, she didn't. I think she was awake. I wasn't sure though."

"That's not good," Ayumi mumbled the cheer of her newest arrival gone.

"When she does start to join the world of the living again, remind her about food, her restaurant, other cuisines, anything along those lines. I suggested that she needs to come up with something she can put her name on."

"Oh, that's a great idea," Ayame said with a smile. "If she decides to open a new restaurant, I could handle the décor, Yuka can do the paperwork, Ayumi will eat all of the food and Eri can bring the guests."

"Yes. That's what she needs. It will take her time, but she just needs to refocus her attention on what she has going for her now."

Sango glanced at the time on her cell phone and frowned. "Shoot. I have to run. If anything happens, call me right away. I'm only out with Miroku and he's just as concerned about her as I am."

They quickly said their goodbyes before starting up a conversation about what they could do to help Kagome out.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

The days turned into weeks as the slowest, most agonizing passage of time Inuyasha had ever felt. Sure, he missed his mother, but he was too young to feel her death, her absence, like he was feeling the loss of Kagome.

Every night on his way home from work, he would drive around aimlessly only to find himself parked in front of Kouga's house. He knew she was there. And he knew that he was banned from the grounds. The moment he stepped through the gates, Kouga and his pack would be on him.

It was okay, he was too numb to feel that kind of pain. It was suicidal to encroach on wolf demon grounds. But right now, who cared? He didn't.

Realizing that suicide was stupid, he headed back to that dreaded apartment of his. He hated his sanctuary. Once upon a time, it had been a place of peace, a home. Now…

He clearly remembered the exact moment when he didn't ever want to go back there. It was a few days after Kagome had moved out and he had returned from a really long day at work. Instead of finding relaxation, he discovered how truly alone he was.

He had plopped own on the couch and breathing in deeply, closing his eyes and letting his head fall onto the back of the couch. Slowly, he took another deep breath, holding it for a dangerously long time before letting go, searching for a release.

Only no release came.

His lungs burned as he struggled to find the air he needed. The first thought that came to his mind: poison. The air was tainted somehow. Claws dug into the thick material of his couch as he gasped and struggled and fought.

He was running, fast, thought the woods. All around him were pine trees, except, there was something odd about the trees. They had a strong, unnatural odor to them. And their needles, they blended together to look more cohesive, like green blobs. None of it looked real.

But he kept on running.

The fake trees turned into green blurs as he ran faster and faster. He then skidded to a stop once he reached a clearing. The trees around this clearing were pines and looked a lot more realistic than the ones he had just run through.

The clearing was brown, all around. The dirt beneath his bare feet crackled from lack of moisture. Tall dead grasses rippled from the scorching breeze that passed through. The air was stale. There was no living being to be found. This was what was causing him to hyperventilate.

Inuyasha's eyes snapped open. Kagome was gone. Her scent was washed away with pine-scented cleaning chemicals. He had depended on her lingering scent to keep him sane. But it was gone. No more. Did she send someone here to clean up after her? No, he'd kept the secret of her scent to himself. If she knew how much he needed it…

The desperation for air was replaced by a new wave of anger. Someone knew. Someone came here with the sole purpose of eradicating her scent from everything. Inuyasha ran into the bedroom, finding the bed made up nice and neatly. The blankets and pillows had been washed.

He ripped the blanket off and shredded through the sheets until he reached the mattress. He stuffed his face into the soft padding, inhaling deeply. She wasn't there either. Only one bastard he knew was this thorough.

Spinning around, he found the person of his disdain standing in the doorway to his bedroom. The want to kill steadily accelerated throughout his system.

"I will fuckin' kill you right where you stand," he hissed out, his markings becoming faintly visible along his cheeks.

"If you feel like dying today, you may try."

"What the fuck did you do?"

Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes at the mess that was his brother. He hadn't realized it was this bad. There were minor complaints at work about his rude behavior returning, but this…this was just bad.

"I've come to reclaim the wooden box." Cruel, yes, he knew, but, he had to do what he had to do.

"What?" Inuyasha breathed out, trying to calm down, but finding it increasingly difficult to with Kagome's scent extinct.

"The girl left you."

And the words his brother spoke wasn't helping him out either. Inuyasha's claws elongated, burying deep into his mattress. "No."

"Pardon me?"

"No. The box is still mine. I don't have to follow your pansy-ass rules since I'm not even a member of your stupid pack. Get the fuck out of my place. Leave me alone. I don't need you. I don't need anyone!"

Sesshoumaru nodded. He only had the apartment cleaned to help out the whelp. He didn't want Inuyasha to wallow in misery every moment he caught her scent. If Kagome was certain about this, then Inuyasha had to honor the girl's decision.

For their kind, the female made the choice about the pups. The male was there to provide the seed, the food, and protection for the female until the pups were whelped. Once the pup was of learning age, the male schooled his sons and the female schooled the daughters. Modernization hadn't change this much, except the education part. Sons and daughters were educated at school and not solely by the pack.

The one thing that Sesshoumaru could not share with Inuyasha was what the pack did to those females that could not provide offspring to their mate. Even Sesshoumaru considered offing one of their own barbaric, but during the times of war, it was the only logical choice. Food was scarce, protection limited, and if the female couldn't offer a pup, she was worthless.

Sesshoumaru decided to leave, even without taking the box. He really had no desire for the box, but it was an excuse to check up on his brother, as well as the most brilliant doctor he had ever known. Even he had noticed the changes in Inuyasha with having Kagome in his life. Of course, he had help from Rin. But now, he truly understood the actually feelings involved in having someone unique in their life.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Right now he hated _hated_ his job. Sure, at the time when he wanted to do this, it was the best thing that could've happened to him. It brought him wealth and prestige, things a hanyou normally couldn't have. He was working in his mother's memory. And he hated it.

It only reminded him of Kagome. How she come her looking for help. And he failed that time. But in that failure, he found her. This time around, she didn't even give him a chance to use the skills he had to help them both out.

And he hated to think that he could agree with that. He watched couples struggled and never had kind words for those who gave up. But the situation change once he put himself and Kagome in it. Now, it was personal.

He didn't have any first-hand knowledge of how the procedures actually felt, but he had prescribed enough drugs to know that none of these women had it easy. Each woman struggled as they allowed him and his team to do whatever they could to their bodies to produce a child. Kagome was one of those women.

He didn't think he could ever work on her, to watch her suffer day and night from the procedures and then watch her suffer even more when the procedure didn't take. Kagome knew that anguish. He didn't. She was saving herself from a breakdown.

And supposedly, saving him from the demise of his own dream. Kagome had him figured out. She knew exactly what he needed in life: a family. It was what he never had as a child growing up. He wanted to be the father he had, but never had a chance to be around. There was so much that he learned about life that he desperately wanted to share with his own pups.

So that dream was still very possible. Kagome knowing that she was the broken link took herself out of the equation. All Inuyasha had to do was find someone else. Someone who would love him as he was, challenge him, make him be the best he could be, someone who would be with him, be a mother. And all of those someone's would never be, could never replace, Kagome.

He could barely hear the crash that sounded in his office. Letting his anger get the best of him, he had pounded his fists into the desk, causing it to break down the middle like some karate chop. His computer monitor went sliding down into the valley of broken wood, crinkled paper and scattered office supplies.

"Fuck," he growled out. Time couldn't heal his heart. Nothing could right now. It had been well over a month and he thought about her even more than before.

He stood up, pushing his leather chair back and began to pace. There had to be something he could do. This couldn't be the end of the end? But after a month, it sure did feel like it.

Sango and Miroku refused to say anything about Kagome. He didn't know if those were Kagome's wishes or their own decision. Sango and Miroku talked about work and nothing but. He knew their game: diversion.

Everyone around the office was doing this 'nothing thing' that Sango and Miroku had somehow talked them into doing. Saori stopped talking about her husband and their plans. Instead, she shoveled more work his way, scheduling more appointments. She even stayed well into the late evenings until the last patient left.

Sesshoumaru and the board of directors also kept him busy. Projects, plans, proposals, and papers were always on his agenda. He had also noticed that Kaede was acting skittish around him. Did she know that he knew she had been Kagome's doctor? The one that delivered the grave news that was responsible for this mess?

Even the cafeteria, the one that Kagome refreshed, had stopped serving anything remotely Kagome-ish and stopped using the recipe she supplied for ramen. That was really where Inuyasha drew the line. What right did they have to mess with _his_ ramen? Kagome didn't own ramen. And what the cafeteria served didn't even constitute as real ramen. It tasted more like that shit they serve in America to poor college students.

The more he paced and grumbled, the more it really felt like the world was truly against him. Kagome, pups, work, the cafeteria, the few friends he did have and it was like a war was being declared.

Crackling his knuckles, he growled out his response, "Bring it on motherfuckers."

"Whoa! Sorry…I'll-I'll knock next time."

Inuyasha froze. His flexed clawed hand was poised up above his head ready for the strike. A man dressed in a white lab coast was crouched down on the ground, shaking, with his arms wrapped around his head for protection.

"You better," Inuyasha gruffly replied as he lowered his hand, sliding it into his pants pocket. "What is it?"

The man moved his arms enough to raise his head and peer around. Once he caught sight of the demolished desk, he gulped. "You know, I can…yeah, maybe I'll just come back later."

"Now is better."

The man nodded as he stood up. "Uh, I was told to inform you that the lab is finished."

"Already?" He was surprised. The remodel was expected to last about four months. And even though this was good news, it didn't feel like it. It was nothing in comparison with everything else. "Is that it?"

"Ummm…no…well, when we…you see…no, it's like this-"

"Will you hurry up? Shit. I've got work to do."

The man nodded. Why was he chosen as the messenger? Why did he feel like he was being sent to the…well…the doghouse? He gulped. And then he gulped again.

"When we started cleaning up the lab, uh, some three months ago, we gathered up everything you see, mostly furniture and put it in storage."

"I know this."

"Uh, right. Uh, well, apparently, some…things…well…they were m-m-missed."

Inuyasha narrowed his already hardened eyes at the young lab technician. "Missed?" That wasn't what he had been told earlier. The contractors had said everything was progressing smoothly.

"Yes, Dr. Takahashi." The lab tech reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumbled, sloppily folded, dirty looking piece of paper. "I was told that it wasn't too important. The case has been in-active for well over a year now." He handed the paper to Inuyasha who snatched it out of the tech's hand.

"Actually, it did help us decided what to do with the new printers, as this one must have just flew off," he added, chuckling nervously. "Okay, well, I told you. Oh, the director says that the lab will be ready to be inspected by you and the board tomorrow morning. Bye." The lab tech rushed out of the room.

Inuyasha just shook his head. He carried the paper over to his chair and broken desk. Saori was going to have to alert maintenance that he needed a new desk and to let the IT department that he probably needed a new computer. And, while he was at it, he could just have the whole office redecorated. Hire an interior designer to spruce the place up a bit. The desk had memories. The couch had memories. With Kagome gone, he needed new furniture with no memories.

His chair was more comfortable now that his mind had been distracted with the little interruption. Sesshoumaru would be pleased with the news about the lab. It had been a side project for both of them. Sesshoumaru was always finding ways to keep everything continually updated and Inuyasha needed a place that could get the best results with the best hardware at the quickest speed without losing, but gaining, quality. The lab techs wanted a nice place to work with the neatest gadgets they could get their hands on. It was a win-win situation for everyone.

The dust bunnies that had gathered on the paper scattered as Inuyasha unfolded it. Looking like it not only flew off the printer, but had somehow got scrunched up underneath a desk or something else. It wasn't in the best of shape.

He opened up the paper and glanced at the information, ready to quickly dismiss it as junk. If someone was missing print outs of any test results, it was easy to ask one those of lab rats for a reprint. It's really all some of them did. Print this or that. Now he was interested in how much he was actually paying those punks.

It looked like any real normal test result print out page: name and address of the clinic, patient number, testing number, employee ID number and all that other information the clinic deemed necessary for filing and tracking. But there was something different about this print out that caught his amber eyes.

A majority of the paper was blank. Most of their tests produced enough information to fill out one whole piece of paper that indicated hormone levels, blood count, and other fertility information specific to the test and treatment. This one only had one test result printed on it, and it was for a test he didn't know about.

"What the fuck is MkRtsu?" he asked out loud to himself. Turning to his desk, he cursed again when he realized that it was all broken.

Standing up, he decided that this paper needed a little more investigation. If someone in his clinic was using his lab to conduct unauthorized experiments, well then, he would have someone that he could sharpen his claws on.

He went to the closet source of information.

"Saori, tell me about this?"

Saori picked up the piece of paper and took a glance at it, reading the information she was trained to recognize. Setting the paper back down on her desk so she could reference it again if needed, she entered the information into the computer. While the computer did a search, Saori went over to her filing and pulled out the physical chart that belonged to the piece of paper Inuyasha had in his possession. She wasn't going to ask him why he was interested in this now.

When she returned to her desk, the information on the computer popped up. Saori wrote down the answer to Inuyasha's question in the blank area on the results print out and handed that and the file to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha had to read and then reread Saori's answer before it settled in his brain and made any real sense. He then flipped through the patient's file and the truth was all too clear. Everything fell into place and he had all of his answers.

"She…" his voice trailed off. No wonder that patient suffered.

Inuyasha bolted out of the office. He was already too late to set things right, but late was better than never at all. He just needed one chance.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kouga growled at the sight of garbage at his door. It stunk and it was ugly. There was no reason for it to be here, but it was, a fact that Kouga wanted to remedy, but couldn't. Not with his mate standing behind him, her hand wrapped securely around his manly pride: his ponytail.

"What do you want dog-shit?" Kouga demanded, standing tall, arms crossed against his puffed out chest. Oh how he wanted to tear into him, clip off his fingers and limbs with Ayame's rose shears, then shred him into a hundred thousand little pieces. Maybe then he'd start to feel better. He felt a little tug on his head. He sent Ayame a small warning growl.

"Kagome," he stated her name simply, calmly.

"Why?"

"That's between me and Kagome you-"

"I think I'll handle it from here." Ayame immediately stepped in between the two little boys.

"Ayame-woman. You just did not do that." Kouga tugged Ayame back behind him, putting his body between her and Inuyasha.

"Kouga, he's only here to inquire about Kagome."

"I don't care. He's the reason-" Kouga stopped himself. "I'm just doing what I need to do. Give it to him and be done with him."

Ayame pulled out an envelope from her pocket. Giving her mate a mournful look, she handed the envelope to Inuyasha. Inuyasha took it and after quickly examining it, found food stains on the outside. So typical of the somewhat clumsy chef.

"She's not here," Ayame said as she stepped closer to Kouga, who wrapped a protective and comforting arm around her shoulders. "That's all that's left."

"Yeah fuck-face. How was I supposed to protect her from what happened? I can't protect her now that she's not here."

Inuyasha winced at the tone Kouga used. He took the envelope and stuffed it into his pocket. "I won't be back then." Inuyasha bowed to the couple, turned and quickly ran off of the wolf's property.

As soon as he got into his truck, he pulled out the envelope, ripping the letter from inside. It was from Kagome. She had addressed the letter to everyone. It started out explaining exactly why she did what she did concerning the two of them. The words written were almost the same as the words she spoke to him that day and they still hurt.

He began to get very angry when she explained that everyone was telling her about how gifted she was with her culinary skills and that she should focus on those, to use those skills to get her past this heartache. So that was what they were all doing. Telling Kagome what to do, telling her how to get over it.

The letter went on with Kagome's ideas about how to deal with the lot she had been given. She said she had talked to her mother, and brother and her mentor Sakai-san.

_After many polite conversations with Sakai-san, he offered me a chance at this new life I am being forced to live. Someone whom he worked with many years ago has a restaurant in New York City, America. A call to his friend one night lead to my eventual departure of one life into a new one. Sakai-san's friend, Morimoto, is eager to accept me into his family of chefs and I couldn't be more honored. While over there, I'll also be doing some work at the culinary institute that will funnel a new breed of diverse students to Japan and vice versa._

_I'm sorry that I can't start this new phase of my life surrounded by my family and friends. One day I plan to return, but for now, I feel disconnected from Japan. New York calls. My plane leaves this afternoon and as soon as I have a moment, I'll send you all corny American souvenirs._

_Please Forgive Me_

_All My Love_

_Kagome_

The truck lurched to life, the letter resting on the passenger seat as he started to break every driving law written. There was time. She said her plane left this afternoon. Knowing Kagome, she'd be there three hours early to wait.

He squeezed the steering wheel tightly. She was going to leave the country because of everything. It didn't seem fair. She was the one that suffered. She was the one whose dreams were lost. And no one could give her a reason why.

Now he had one. The answer was in his clinic, tucked away underneath some piece of furniture. All it had to do was be found. Kagome needed to know this before she started that next phase of the rest of her life. Her life, her choice, he would respect that.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome sat in the Narita International Airport, some 40 miles from everything she had ever known: the Shrine, her family and friends, the restaurant, and the plans she did have. Kagome flipped the boarding pass around in her hand. There was the fourteen hour flight to Seattle-Tacoma before another five hour flight until she reached her final destination.

It had been easy to convince herself to go. In order to grow as a chef, she had to venture out and explore the world. She was lucky considering the connections she had. A furnished apartment, a cooking job, and a part-time teaching job all eagerly awaited her arrival to the New World. Her new life.

Everyone had kept her so busy with work that this was the first time in a month that Inuyasha popped up in her thoughts. Sango had said nothing to her about Inuyasha. Kagome wondered if he was healing or hurting? She was hurting. She could foresee herself hurting for the rest of her life, using food as her only method of helping her forget.

Anything reminding her of the hunky hanyou was left with her mother. Kagome didn't have this heart to toss any of the momentos out. They were all packed neatly and safely in a box and hidden away in the well house where Kagome had learnt her brother's, grandfather's, and Papa's belongings were stored.

Clutching onto her boarding pass, new tears sprung to her eyes. Kagome thought that she had cried up all of these tears. Leaving Japan meant there would never be another chance with Inuyasha. Not that she could have one. It was Inuyasha who would get the chance, who deserved the chance. She had used hers up. It was time to finally move on. She had to let it all go, let him go.

Kagome shuddered as she let out a sigh. It would do her no good to dwell on what could never be. She had to think about what was waiting for her in New York.

Sakai-san had really done her a favor. He got her in with a chef famous in both Japan and the United States. Also, though it was partially her idea, starting up a study abroad program through the culinary institute with another one elsewhere. It just so happened that the one in New York was thinking along the same lines. And they wanted someone trained in Japan, with experience, to teach a course each semester.

"Flight 2181 to Seattle now boarding. Flight 2181 to Seattle now boarding."

Kagome looked up. It was time. The others waiting for this flight were already up on their feet, standing in line to hand their ticket to the attendant at the gate. But she remained sitting. It would be so crowded right now with everyone trying to get on and seated at once. She would wait until the final call.

Did it really matter? To go now, later…one way or another she was going to have to get onto that plane. Tightening her grip on her boarding pass, Kagome stood up. She had made it a point to dress for the long trip. Her hair was unbrushed and tied up in a sloppy ponytail, and she dressed way down in a pair of soft teal pajama cotton pants, and the one thing she couldn't leave in the well house: a t-shirt she "borrowed" from Inuyasha.

Hauling up her carry-on onto her shoulder, Kagome slowly made her way to the gate. She said goodbye to her mother, the restaurant, and left a note for her friends, who already knew bits and pieces of her plan. This journey was her goodbye to Japan. Kagome shook her head. She would return home soon enough.

_Kagome_!

She closed her eyes.

_Kagome_!

Tears fell.

_Kagome!_

Her heart felt compressed.

_KAGOME!_

America was calling her. Or was it Japan begging her stay? She couldn't tell, nor did she want to even think about it. With her eyes already closed, she took along, deep breath. She just couldn't stay. It wasn't meant to be. There was nothing here for her anymore and everything was waiting for her in New York.

_Sayonara Japan…Mama…KenSen…Eri, Yuka, Ayumi, Ayame, Kouga, Sango, Miroku…_

"Kagome!"

_Sayonara Inuyasha…_

"Kagome…wait…"

_Please, let me go, give me peace…_

"Goddammit wench. Fuck. Don't move."

Kagome glanced behind her. Her watery eyes went wide of the sight of a blurry Inuyasha running through the crowds towards her. So that voice she heard, it was Inuyasha's all along. But why…why was he here?

"Inuyasha," she whispered his name as he slowed down to walk up to her. Her knees grew weak at the sight of him. It couldn't be true, but he looked so good, better than…well, when things were good between them, when there was something between them.

He skidded to a halt just a foot in front of her. Inhaling deeply, he felt her scent wash over him and for the first time since she left, he was completely calm, and just overall, felt so much better. He could do this.

"Kagome," he said her name just to say it.

"What-what are you doing here?" My flight is boarding and…and I can't stay." That and if she stayed any longer…he was really making this difficult for her. "How did you find me?"

"Ayame and Kouga." He pulled out the envelope that had contained the letter she had written to them and left on the bed in the guest room she had occupied for her month stay with the wolf tribe.

"Oh."

"Kagome…why…why are you leaving? You don't have to go."

"You know exactly why I have to leave."

"Kagome-"

"Not just that thought. Well…because of that, mostly, yes. But…all I have left is my career. And I know you can understand how one's career can become their sole passion in life."

"I don't want you to leave."

"I wish it were that easy Inuyasha. But it hurts me. I will be hurting for the rest of my life. I don't want to hurt you anymore than I already have. And…and I couldn't bear to be here when you are finally able to leave me behind. There's nothing to keep me here."

Inuyasha took another step towards her. He heard everything she was saying, but none of it mattered to him. Not now, not ever. Reaching up, he cradled Kagome's head in his hands, forcing her to look at him. Their eyes connected, hers with his, like they had done so many times before. His thumb brushed across her cheek, wiping away dried tears.

"Marry me."

She cried. Hard. Her body racked with sobs. "Why?" she choked out. Why was he torturing her? Did he want her to suffer? "I-I have nothing…"

Inuyasha shook his head, no longer able to contain the smile he wanted to share with her the moment he caught her scent, and softly said. "You're wrong wench. You're so fuckin' wrong."

"I can't. I don't want you to live the life I would make you live. I'm going to go to America. Forget about me. I won't came back until you're married with a woman who has given you a pup of your own. I won't interfere. Never."

"You're wrong again."

"No, Inuyasha," Kagome pleaded with him, shaking her head, struggling weakly to escape. "I can't…no more procedures, no more drugs."

He nodded along with her. "I promise. Marry me."

"But…children…pups…"

"Kagome." The smile left his face for just a moment when he said, "I know what's wrong with you."

Those tears returned. Her stormy eyes were flooded once again. He…he knew what was wrong with her. There _was_ something wrong with her. All along, it was her. It just confirmed everything she had learned about herself in the last month. She once again tried looking away from him, but he held her head firmly.

"Just…let me go, please Inuyasha."

"Can't. Because I can fix you."

"What?"

"Marry me."

"You can…fix me?"

"Yeah."

"But…"

"It's simple. Kagome…you're a miko."

"A miko?"

"Yeah. Shit. I should've known. Right in the beginning too. Your grandfather was a priest. You live in a fuckin' shrine."

"I've-I've never shown any signs. How can that be?"

He brushed more tears away. Seeing her cry made his heart ache. "Test results. MkRtsu is a measurement of spiritual power. Yours was…well, I'd hate to be on the receiving end of anything you can charge up."

"I don't understand."

"Mikos have this built-in birth control mechanism. Semen is considered a foreign substance, a threat, like foreign blood. Same with a fertilized egg. Your spiritual powers terminated each pregnancy."

"I…I did this…to myself?"

"Yeah, just a little evolutionary crump that was never swept away."

"So…I have priestess powers. But…Inuyasha, still-"

"I can fix it. Kaede was the one who originally figured it out, when she was young. A little prayer or some shit like that and you're fixed."

She wanted to smile, but almost couldn't believe a word he was saying. "I'm not broken?"

"Feh. Just a really stubborn wench, that's all."

"Final call for Flight 2181 to Seattle. This is the final call for Flight 2181 to Seattle."

Kagome's eyes darted to the departure gate. She caught people running to the gate happy that they made it on time. She sighed. This certainly messed things up. She looked up at Inuyasha once more.

"Marry me Kagome. Be a mother to our pups."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's note**: Eh, no one ever asked me if Kagome was a miko. Strange considering I have Inuyasha in his hanyou form.

Just a few notes to share…

Kagome's mentor, Sakai-san is the Sakai from Iron Chef. As is Morimoto, who owns a restaurant in New York as well as one in Philadelphia. Sakai does own a French restaurant called _La Rochelle_. I couldn't resist. I love that show. Not a big fan of the Iron Chef America though…

In Japanese cooking, knives are the one tool one must have. Because they use chopsticks to eat, all of their food must be cut. Cutting boards are important as well. One reason why the Japanese hate Bobby Flay. You don't dishonor the Japanese by standing on a cutting board. That's how they eat.

I didn't make Kagome lose her spiritual powers once she lost her virginity. It was born out of the need to keep miko. Once a miko fell in love and decided to have a family, she could no longer put forth all of her attention into healing the sick, so, miko were protected from the ideas of family so villages didn't lose their priestesses. Love and sex can be a spiritual thing, so why should a miko lose her spiritual powers for experiencing spiritual matters?

One more chapter…

Thanks for reading. Hope you enjoyed it.


	29. Chapter 29

**The Gods' Opinion**

Disclaimer: Almost all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko.

Warning: This is a mature story and I mean that in more than this story only containing sexual situations and bad language. It contains adult themes.

Summary: Kagome is trying hard to have a baby. But when things don't work out, she visits the best fertility doctor in the world. She finds her feelings and beliefs challenged as she struggles to hold onto her dreams.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**Chapter Twenty and NineUnwritten**

"Calm down Inuyasha."

"You can tell me to fuckin' calm when you- wait…what am I talking about? You can't settle down."

Miroku pouted. "That's not fair."

"Stop taking it out on Miroku, mutt-face."

Inuyasha grumbled as he fixed his _haori_ and _hakama_ one more time. And then he adjusted it again, just in case. Glancing down at his feet, he wiggled his toes, which were slipped into the traditional _tabi_ socks and _zori_ sandals.

"It seems the hanyou can clean up."

"Shut up bastard," he shot out as his brother. Stupid…why…oh wait. He knew why he was torturing himself like this. Just a little longer and this part would be over. He just hated to wait. Like he had patience. Closing his eyes, he sighed. Just a little longer…

It was a long wait for this day, the _tomobiki_ of June. Stupid Sesshoumaru. That bastard was all about upholding every single tradition and ancient custom he could find. Lucky for them, the elder _daiyoukai_ had connections to people who were able to calculate the _tomobiki_ well in advance without having to wait.

The door to the room they were in burst open. None of them were surprised by it as the running of Shippo's feet alerted them to his arrival. "It's time."

It was silent as everyone nodded to each other. They had to be ready now. It was time. Inuyasha lead the way out of the room, his entourage following him. They left the inside of the dwelling and waited outside for the second group to meet up with them.

All froze the moment the second group finally did emerge. There was Kagome, leading her pack, looking so beautiful dressed in a long white dress with a thin white veil covering her face and hair. The upper part of her hair was pulled back, the jade comb holding it in place, displaying her neck and the pearl necklace wrapped around it.

Once her eyes met his, she smiled, blushed, and turned away. She chastised herself. She wasn't supposed to display any emotions on this day. But she couldn't help it. She was the happiest she had been in a really long time.

The two groups came together, Inuyasha on the left and Kagome on the right, both flanked by their blended family. Together, they walked toward the Goshinboku. A priest clad in traditional robes stood at the base. Silk pads were arranged at both sides for the guests to sit upon.

Far off from the main sitting area sat a small group of _gagaku_ softly playing their fluted music in accompany with the sounds of nature that danced around the Shrine grounds.

Once Kagome and Inuyasha reached the priest, everyone in attendance took their seats, facing each other as they all prepared to be invited into each other's family with the union of Kagome and Inuyasha on this day. The attendance was large due to the fact that neither Inuyasha nor Kagome could pick one person over another.

The priest began the ceremony by honoring the gods and asking them to attend the ceremony so that they may bless the couple and those in attendance on this day. Next, the priest pulled out a branch cut from the Goshinboku, called the _harai-gushi_, and purified the couple as he once again asked the gods to bless the couple. Once the priest was satisfied with both the purification and the blessing, he ushered everyone to the next part.

"I will marry this woman…"

"I will marry this hanyou…"

"I will love him…"

"I will love her…"

"No matter the health condition…"

"…respect, console, and help him…"

"Protecting fidelity."

"Until death."

"Until death."

"I swear."

"I swear."

The priest nodded as the vows had been shared. Three young miko-in-training, clothed in the traditional red and white dress, walked up to the priest, each one carrying a shallow, yet wide, cup of sake. The first miko, who carried the smallest-sized cup, handed the cup to the priest who blessed the rice liquid before handing it to Inuyasha. Inuyasha received the cup and took three tiny sips before handing it over to Kagome.

Kagome followed, taking three sips herself. Once finished, she handed the cup back to the priest who handed it back to the miko. The next miko, with the medium-sized cup, stepped up and the process of blessing and drinking was repeated. The last miko, with the largest cup, passed the cup of sake to the priest and the ritual was performed for the last time.

As the _san-san-kudo_ finished, another miko handed out small cups of sake to all of the guests in attendance. Once the priest had the last cup of sake from Kagome, he asked the guests to drink, completing the union of the bride and groom and their families, and that the vows Inuyasha and Kagome shared were now sealed.

Next, another young miko emerged, a red origami crane cradled in her small hands. She handed the crane to the priest who once again blessed the object. Inuyasha reached over and pulled off the ring that was looped around the crane's neck. Taking Kagome's hand, he slid his mother's ring onto her slender finger.

It was the first time Kagome has seen the ring and she was stunned by its simple beauty – a plain gold band with Inuyasha's family crest etched onto its side. Kagome took the ring that was looped around the tail of the crane. Taking the ring, she reached for Inuyasha's hand and slid the ring, the one that was once her father's, onto his finger.

Turning back, the priest handed the couple three branches from a _sakai_ tree, whose years matched that of the Goshinboku. Inuyasha and Kagome turned and walked to the tiny shrine off to the left of the Goshinboku. They set the twigs down in front of the shrine, closed their eyes and prayed, asking for blessings from the great goddess and all of the other deities present.

Once the prayer was over, Inuyasha and Kagome returned to their places in front of the priest. He smiled as he clapped his hands.

"The ceremony is complete. You may kiss your wife."

Kagome gasped and she turned to give the priest a questioning look. He was a close friend of her grandfather. Once he learned of their wedding, he had sat down with Kagome and Mama Higurashi, explaining to them a letter that was left to him asking him to marry Kagome, in case her grandfather wasn't around to perform the ceremony.

"That's not tradition," she whispered to the old priest.

The priest smiled and winked at her. "Your grandfather says it'll be okay…just this once."

Kagome turned to Inuyasha who carefully lifted the veil from her face. He then immediately pulled her close and bent down, giving her a tasteful, yet loving, kiss. The guests erupted with cheers. Kagome pulled back and smiled, her cheeks pink. Inuyasha wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. She rested her head against the rough material of Inuyasha's bright red haori.

"We're halfway there," she whispered to him.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

The reception party was held upstairs in the bar area of _KenSen_. The restaurant portion was left open for usual business because Kagome didn't want anyone to be disappointed on her happy day.

Kagome changed into a simple _kimono_, a gesture to honor her mother as it was the _kimono_ her mother wore at her reception. It was a dark green color with scattered white plum petals with a pale yellow _obi_ wrapped around her waist. Inuyasha took off his _haori_, but left everything else on. It was warm out and he didn't want to sweat and stink in front of everyone, especially those with sensitive noses.

As everyone had sat down to eat and drink, one by one, guests had a chance to make a speech to the couple at the makeshift stage set up. Many offered their best wishes and good luck to the couple. Some ended up crying, Eri being one of them, who couldn't make it through the speech they had planned.

Ayame's and Ayumi's children got together and sang a song in honor of the couple. As the party went on and more alcohol was consumed, loving speeches were replaced with drunken karaoke acts, mostly by Kouga and Miroku. Sango tried to hide behind the bar with Jakotsu and Rin did everything she could to keep Sesshoumaru from whipping anyone who couldn't carry a tune.

At the end of the reception, it was Kagome's and Inuyasha's turn to give a speech to their friends and family. After a little private discussion, Inuyasha nodded and took the microphone first.

"Hey," he began. Speaking to an audience without notes or without a slide show was difficult for him. "Yeah, thanks for coming. Guess we wouldn't be here without anyone of you."

He then handed the microphone over to Kagome. She gave him a soft smile. "Yes, what Inuyasha said. I know that I can't really say how grateful I am to all of you. I've been through the worst times and the best times of life with all of you. But we've made it this far because of you. Let's look forward to the future together as well."

The guests clapped and said their goodbyes to the couple as they headed off to catch their honeymoon flight. Inuyasha didn't say one word about where they were going, but he had it all planned out. Anytime Kagome asked, he just smiled at her. Sesshoumaru and Rin drove the newlywed couple to the airport with Mama Higurashi along for the ride.

Mama Higurashi said her own private goodbye to her daughter and new son-in-law, tears flowing amongst the women. They all sat around talking and trying to laugh until it was time to board their flight. The last of the hugs were given and Sesshoumaru, Rin, and Mama Higurashi watched as the couple disappeared hand in hand.

Rin leaned against Mama Higurashi, who wrapped a comforting arm around the younger girl. "Two weeks and things will be back to normal," Rin softly said as she wiped away the last of her tears.

"Let's hope not," Mama Higurashi replied as she wiped away her own happy tears.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Kagome lost track of the amount of time she had spent in the airplane. But she knew it had been much too long. In the truck she was now sitting in, she turned to look at Inuyasha, who was driving much too fast to be legal. Then again, she wasn't sure if there was anyone around this area to enforce the laws, or if there were even laws.

"Where are we?"

"It's a surprise," he said back to her, his voice low and hoarse from the lack of speech. He had done a good job at keeping it from her, placing headphones on her ears in the plane, carrying her as she slept through the terminal at their arrival point. Sometimes, he loved her obliviousness to her surroundings.

"Oh…okay. How much longer then?"

"About five minutes."

Kagome sat up. That was good news. The sudden movement, though, caused pain to tremble from her stiff limbs. "Really?" Between the airplane trip and the car ride, she wasn't sure if they were ever going to make it. Some surprise.

Five minutes later the vehicle slowed down as Inuyasha turned onto a narrow dirt road. Kagome repositioned herself in her seat, gazing out the window, but couldn't see much of anything at this time of night other than a few stars and the outline of some of the taller trees. At the end of the driveway, which she guessed they were approaching by the quick deceleration of the vehicle, she could faintly make out a small house.

He pulled up to it and stopped, putting the vehicle in park and cutting the engine. Kagome exited the car, reaching up to the sky, stretching her limbs out like a cat, pulling her muscles until they strained. Inuyasha grabbed their bags and headed inside the tiny dwelling.

"Hurry up inside," he called after Kagome before she wandered too far off into the dark.

Kagome rushed in after her husband and followed him inside. He turned on a lantern and revealed their honeymoon locale to her. She gasped, in awe of the cute little adobe hut he had found for them to share these nights together.

It was a single square dwelling that reminded her more of a feudal-era Japanese hut than anything else. Everything was stuffed into the four corners of the place. A tiny kitchen was squeezed into one corner, consisting of a sink, fridge that was powered off a generator, and some cabinets. The cooking had to be done over a fire pit that was carved out of the center of the room.

In another corner, there was a hammock that clued her into chance that they were in a tropical location. She didn't have a window seat on the plane and Inuyasha did everything he could to make sure she was too busy to take notice of their surroundings. One corner was blocked off with a partitioned wall that Kagome assumed was the bathroom. And the last corner had chopped wood stacked up nicely.

"This is nice," she commented as she noticed finally that there wasn't a bathtub in the little shack. What kind of honeymoon didn't have a bathtub? She was half-expecting a hotel room with one of those in-floor Jacuzzi tubs. They would sit in it, getting massages, and surrounded with bubbles while sipping on champagne. "Where are we?"

"Mexico." Inuyasha was busy putting their bags away. He wandered into the kitchen area and opened the cupboards, checking on the food he had stored. There was enough for them for a while, though he figured he would have to go into the nearest town for something later on in the week.

"Mexico?" She was stunned. Of all the places they could go. This didn't seem like any part of Mexico she knew about. No fancy motels or pyramids. "Why…uh, why here?"

"I own this place," he confessed from his spot by the firewood.

"This is yours?" Kagome spun around to get another look at the innards of the place. "You never told me."

"Yeah. I know. No one knows."

"No one, not even Miroku?" Kagome sat down on the hammock, falling backwards into its gentle sway. It was more comfortable than it looked.

"Nope."

"How-how did you end up purchasing this? Find it?"

"You."

"Me? How did I…what did I do?"

Inuyasha bent down by the fire pit, dropping the firewood down next to it. He added some small pieces and struck a match. Despite the tropical location, the nights got chilly and they would need a little warmth for them. "You left."

Kagome glanced away, sighing. She had nothing to say to that. It was still a sore spot between them, despite the fact that they moved on, got married. It still pained her to think about that time, but, she still believed she did the right thing.

Inuyasha felt her despair. He ran a clawed hand through his bangs. Not the best way to start their honeymoon. "No, uh, not that. The first time. When you left that Homo guy. I had to get away. I found myself here, alone, surrounded by nature."

"You…how come?"

Inuyasha looked down at the fire he had created. "I wanted you then. I wanted you and-and I couldn't have you. When you left…you disappeared from me. And I was lost. I didn't know what to do. I came here to refocus, to forget about you."

Kagome climbed out of the hammock and joined her husband on the floor next to the crackling fire. She wrapped her arms around him, laying her head against his arm. "I didn't know," she whispered the words as she felt her eyes stinging.

"Keh, how could you've?" His eyes didn't meet hers.

"So, the memories you have of here…they aren't so good, are they?"

Inuyasha's tight stare was fixated on the fire. "I guess," he replied, shrugging lightly.

Kagome snaked her hand up through his thick, soft, silver tresses, seeking the apex of it all where his ears stood. Once found, she locked onto it and started to rub her fingers in a circular motion. Kagome leaned over to the ear that she wasn't massaging and whispered, "Let's make new ones," as the rumblings in his chest began.

He glanced over in her direction and flashed the toothiest grin before his lips found hers, tenderly at first. Reaching up, he ran a claw tip along her bottom lip, causing the most genuine smile to grace her lips. Kagome was partially right. It was time make some new memories. But, it was also time to officially start their honeymoon.

Inuyasha kissed her again, pulling her onto his lap, cradling her hips as he pulled her close to him. There was no rush as they had two weeks to get to know each other as husband and wife. And still, there was this feeling between the two of them – that they needed to settle things between them once and for all.

He pulled away from her lips. Picking Kagome up off of his lap, he sat her down next to him. To quickly silence any protests she would most likely have, he placed a clawed finger across her lips. He gave her a reassuring smile. She would just have to wait.

Hurrying over to the cupboards, he opened up one of the larger ones and pulled out several blankets and pillows. He tossed them onto the ground and Kagome went to work at laying them out next to the fire. Inuyasha dragged out a small futon as well. Some things he just couldn't do without.

Once their little makeshift bed was made, they glanced at each other and blushed. They'd done this before, just not as husband and wife – as mates. Inuyasha turned to look upon her, the fire casting an ethereal glow upon her skin, her silky hair. He reached out to touch her skin and her hair, the tips of his claws running down the length of her bare arm.

Kagome shivered. His touch was sweet, sweet torture. She closed her eyes, relishing in the feel of his touch. She looked up at him, his golden eyes revealing the depths of his feelings for her. It shot right through her, his gaze, the transmission of those feelings. It pinned her in place.

"Inu…ya…sha…"

With a slight push on her shoulder, she fell down onto their bed with her hanyou husband draping over her body as her blanket. His elbows held up most of his bodyweight until he shifted around so that his waist rested on the top of her hips. Using his claws, he brushed back her hair and as he trailed his hand down along the front of her, the fabric of her tank top ripped in its wake, exposing her braless chest to the cool night air.

"K'gome," he groaned out. He lightly touched her skin, hoping that the goddess beneath him was real. That all of this was real.

"…yasha…" Kagome whispered, arching her body toward him to stay connected with his touch. Without it, she felt alone, cold, even with the fire blazing next to her.

Okay, he really did have all night and the next two weeks following that, but he just…the youkai inside of him was clawing its way out. Inuyasha sat up, resting on his knees as he worked on quickly shedding off his clothes. Kagome's eyes ate him up. He had been working out a lot lately and it showed. His muscles rippled underneath smooth skin, the fire and shadows dancing along the curves and cuts of his body.

Once he was fully naked, he worked on getting his wife just as naked as he was. The tank was already ruined. Crawling over her, he reached for the waistband of her shorts and quickly yanked them down her slender legs. She let out a gasp as the cool air hit warm spots.

_Beautiful._

He breathed in her heavy aroma, his yes closed as he found himself in her flourishing meadow, ready for him. That scent…her scent…without it, he was lost. Now, he had it around him all of the time. It blanketed everything, including his own skin. He absorbed it, he breathed it. It flowed through his veins, right into his heart.

Leaning back down, he kissed her, softly at first, trying not to rush too quickly into the night. Kagome parted her lips and used her tongue to beckon him to her. There was no battle to be fought, just the need to taste one another.

He broke away to cover her tasty skin with butterfly kisses, licks, and nips. Her skin would be marked with pleasure when he was done with her. Kagome could only lay there and enjoy the undivided attention her husband was worshiping her body with. Kagome reached out and locked her hands around his biceps, needing a handle to hang on to.

His hands roamed over her body and hers did the same to him. Contact between them had to be maintained at all times. Neither could be happy – complete – without it.

It didn't take much on his part to get her worked into a lustful frenzy, her head tossing side to side, her back arching, her hands clawing at her skin as he kissed her to her first white-hot orgasm of the night. And she wasn't coming down any time soon.

And that had triggered it – his youkai. She was ready. He could smell it in the air, on her. Kagome opened her eyes and caught the beginnings of – well, she wasn't sure. There were purple markings zig-zagged down his cheek, faint in color, but growing intense by the seconds. And his eyes…she marveled at the violent red that pooled around the bright blue pupils.

_He's transforming._

Kagome had been warned by the old man, as well as by Myouga, a member of the Izayoi Family Clinic board of directors that sometimes, in a life or death situation, or during sex – such a basic and primal drive of demons – would literally draw the demon half of Inuyasha out.

She tilted her head back and looked to her side, at the fire. This was the only advice they could offer her. It was one form of submission. She'd asked Ayame about it and Ayame explained that if Inuyasha did transform, Kagome had to submit and obey.

Kagome believed that he'd never hurt her – ever, so she submitted and waited for instructions to obey. She darted her eyes at him, trying to memorize this, his demon side. This demon she'd never seen before was still her husband. Not that she expected any 'hi, nice to meet you' greetings, but, she had to know what he looked like in this form in case she saw it again.

_Mine._

_My bitch._

Minding his longer than normal claws, he quickly lifted Kagome up, twisted her around and set her down on her hands and knees. Those were her instructions.

_Of course…doggie-style. I wonder why we never did it this way before…_

He entered her from behind, slowly, noting wanting to hurt her, even in his more animalistic state. Grabbing her hips, he working himself into the best position for this before he started to pump into her.

Kagome couldn't keep quiet. She couldn't keep still. She couldn't stop the fire burning in her veins. This position hit a place inside of her that made her feel unlike anything he ever made her feel before. It felt incredible, dangerous, and out of control. She shivered with warmth that left her aching for so much more.

Turning her neck around, she wanted a glimpse of her hanyou lover, to see his face locked in erotic agony…just once…

Inuyasha groaned deeply at the feel of her wet velvet core wrapped tightly around him. His head fell back as he worked on his rhythm. An eye peeked open and he caught Kagome looking back at him.

Flashing his fangs, he swarmed down on her, his teeth latching onto her neck, not a bite, but enough to break the skin. Her head turned back, her eyes wide as she stared forward with his teeth…his warm breath…Her eyes fluttered shut as her back arched. She had to remain in position. Another command to obey.

Kagome liked it. His rough manner. It had tenderness to it, but it surprised her as well. She could feel him panting against her neck, the grunts he made echoing in her ear. He sounded so delicious, losing herself to the other things she was feeling.

They were both close, riding that wave up together. Inuyasha released his jaw from her neck as he focused on finishing her off first before he did. Her scent swirled around him. His scent wrapped around her. Their skin was coated with a fine sheen of sweat that absorbed the other's scent. With their hips sensually, yet, ferociously gyrating together, fast, furious, lovingly, Kagome fell first, screaming out something that sounded like her husband's name. Inuyasha descended right after her, howling into the night as his hips jerked violently a couple of times as he emptied everything he had into her.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled her against his chest and lifted her just enough to lay down behind her, both facing the fire. He trailed his claws up along her side, smiling at the sight of goose bumps that rose in the path.

"K'gome…" he whispered, nuzzling his nose into her damp hair.

"Mmm," she replied back, smiling, eyes closed, body flushed, and heart and soul filled. Her fingers interlaced with his and she noticed their wedding bands. The ones that they each received had been perfect. They had decided not to show each other the bands until the day of the wedding. Kagome had been nervous that she wouldn't like the one she received and that Inuyasha wouldn't want to wear something that was used. But it had worked out perfectly.

The traveling, the sex, it all had worn the couple out. Soon, they were both asleep, joined at the hips, by hand, heart, and soul.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"This one is nice."

"Really? I thought you'd like this one."

Kagome looked at the picture. "I don't know. It's cute, but…"

"But what?"

"I don't know. It's just…you know, it doesn't reach out and grab my attention."

"Boring?"

"This part here is."

"I thought so. So, this one then."

Kagome vigorously nodded. "I love this it. It's so…so…perfect."

"Okay. I'll get the papers together and put in an offer."

"Wait on that." Kagome pressed her lips together as she thought about what she was planning on doing. "I still need to talk to Inuyasha about this. I-I don't think he's going to like this."

"Whatever. He'll survive."

"I know, but still…"

"Well. I'll look into it more carefully, see if there's anything we're missing. Give me a call when you make your decision. Hell, call me for anything."

"I will. Thanks." Kagome started to stand up to let her guest out. He stopped her and told her he could find his own way out. Once alone, she worked on cleaning up the empty plates of dessert bars and tea cups she shared with her guest for their afternoon snack. It was nearing dinner time and even though she wasn't hungry, he would be.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

Inuyasha opened the door and his nose was immediately assaulted with the foulest stench. He slapped a hand over his nose as he fought the reflex to gag. Flipping off his shoes, he hurried down the hallway and into the kitchen.

"Kagome!?" he called out, worried for a moment that she was cooking something a little too exotic for his tastes. But this stench…no, it wasn't food.

He found her in the kitchen, whipping up food for dinner. Sniffing the air, that stench wasn't as bad, but it still hung in the air. He was going to have to resort to using incense or something.

"What smells like shit?"

Kagome chuckled. "Well, hello to you, too. How was your day?"

He shrugged as he headed to the fridge to grab something to drink. "Okay. Normal. But seriously Kagome, it smells like shit in here."

"I don't smell anything."

Inuyasha scented the air again, tracking its path in hopes of pinning down the source. It was starting to give him a really bad headache. With the bottle of juice in his hand, he followed the stench out into the dining room.

"Fuck," he cursed out loud, dropping the bottle from his hand. "Kagome!"

Kagome hurried from the kitchen, in her hand the bamboo spoon she was using to prepare stir fry. She stopped and started to laugh at the sight of her husband on all fours, sniffing the seat of a chair.

Her smile dropped when he looked up at her with dangerously sharp golden eyes. She looked away.

"_He_ was here!" It wasn't a question, or even a statement. It was an accusation.

"Inu-" she started.

"Why was _he_ here?" he was now standing up, looking much taller than he did when he first arrived home.

"Inuyasha…you…" Kagome sighed as she set the spoon down on the table. Turning back to him, she focused her glance at his chest, unable to look at his eyes. "You might want to sit down for this."

Inuyasha shook his head. "I'll stand."

"Okay. Well…how should I put this?" she mumbled to herself. Kagome knew how Inuyasha liked to be told things – straight, honest, and direct. "I can't be here anymore."

Inuyasha growled. So it was _his _scent. He growled again at the idea of his personal home being soiled by _his_ presence. Wait…what did…what did she say again?

"What?"

Kagome grasped her hands behind her back, her eyes drifting over to the windows, outside, gazing at the small-sized trees on the balcony. "I-"

"That's why he was here? So you could find a new place to live?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes. That's what I want to talk to you about."

"You had Kouga here – in my place?"

"I know. And I'm sorry about that, but…I had to."

"You had to? Are you ever going to tell me why?"

"I'm getting there." Kagome wanted to look at him, but was a bit afraid. "This place is…well, it's small."

"How much more space do you fuckin' need? I lost my closet to your clothes. My kitchen is filled with your crap."

"I use that crap to make you ramen and food."

"Keh. Which is why I tolerate said crap."

"Yes. Of course."

"So, my place…_our_ place, is too small for you?"

"Well, that's…that's not exactly the way I'd put it."

Inuyasha sighed. One pet peeve about his wife was her ability to not get to the point, always using the most roundabout way of getting to whatever it was she had to say. There wasn't time to skirt the issue. Anytime Kouga was involved…not good.

"If you're not going to tell me, then go back and cook something."

Sure, she loved to cook, but being ordered to, she didn't tolerate that, even from her own husband. "I need more space," she yelled out at him not realizing how she had exactly worded her phrase.

"Why goddammit?"

Kagome froze, only the blinking of her eyes alluded to any life in her. "You mean…you-you don't know?"

"Fuck Kagome. I just asked you, didn't I?"

"Really? Because Kouga figured it out. One reason why he came over," she said causally followed by a sly smile. She stood by and waited for her husband to catch up with her.

"Wolf-shit?" Inuyasha marched over to Kagome. He grabbed her shoulders and made her look at him. "He ain't got anything in that head of his other than shit."

"Really? Mmmm…it was the first thing he commented on when I saw him." She felt bad for doing this and she felt even worse for having Ayame and Kouga convince her that this could be funny.

"He was hitting on you?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "No. He wasn't hitting on me."

"Then why-" and he stopped, frozen like she had moments ago.

"Why what?"

"Shut up."

Inuyasha pulled Kagome flushed up against his body and buried his nose into the crook of her neck. He took several deep breaths, the warm air in his exhale tickling her skin. She giggled at the sensation.

He suddenly pushed her away from his body, but kept a tight grip on her shoulders. What was wrong with him? He had totally missed it. But that stupid wolf Kouga hadn't.

Kagome placed a warm hand on his cheek. She saw everything in his eyes. "I didn't think you'd want to turn your office into a nursery."

He blinked a couple of times as he stared at her. "This…you…me…we…"

Kagome reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded up envelope, handing the paperwork she had held for two days over to him. "Confirmed at twelve weeks." Kagome smiled at his softened facial features. "The longest ever for me."

"That pervert Miroku is not going to be your doctor."

"He's not. Kaede still is as she was the one who administered whatever it was you two did to me."

Inuyasha hugged her and she hugged back. He had missed the slight change in her scent only because the apartment was covered with the older scents of her and him, Kagome's cooking, and the cleaning. She had been cleaning a lot lately and figured it was just boredom.

"Kouga wanted to see how long it would take you to find out since Ayame beat him to the punch. So, he had to use you to make himself feel better."

"I'll make him pay."

"He left us some flyers for available houses. But I had to ask you before we chose one. Hey…if you could pick anywhere to live…to raise pups…where would it be?"

Inuyasha sniffed her once again, loving her new scent. "I like the Shrine," he muttered in her skin. She even tasted a little different.

"And live with my mother?" Kagome asked, a bit shocked by his confession.

"She could live here," he replied, everything making perfect sense in his head as he made it up.

"You can tell her."

"I will."

"Inuyasha…" she started to cry before she could say anything else. She was much too happy and scared.

"Everything will be fine," he reassured her. He quickly scooped her up into his arms, earning a high-pitched yelp from his wife. "Bed rest for you."

"But…dinner…"

"I'll cook."

Kagome pouted. "I'm not broken."

Inuyasha shook his head as he rushed her into the bedroom.

_No, but too precious…_

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"I hate your mate."

Kouga didn't look up at the hanyou. Instead, he focused on the game of pool he was currently playing. He hit the cue ball at such an odd angle that it sent the white ball plying at the hanyou. Inuyasha ducked in time. Miroku didn't see it coming.

"What the fuck?" Inuyasha howled out.

"Yeah, what he said," Miroku added, rubbing his head, hoping to soothe the burning pain the contact with the cue ball had caused.

Kouga stood up, laughing. "Blame it on the dog."

"Keh. I still hate her."

"Why?" Miroku asked, curious as to why a cue ball ended airborne.

Inuyasha plunked down in a chair next to the pool table, running a hand through his bangs. "I …fuck…Kagome is wearing this-"

"Oh, the necklace," Kouga said, beaming mischievously.

"Yeah, the necklace _your_ mate gave to her."

Kouga shook his head. He grabbed his bottle of beer and took a long gulp. "I hate that thing too. It's a horrible thing for women to be able to wear."

Miroku raised his hand like some first grader. "Uh…what necklace?"

Inuyasha turned to Kouga, making the wolf demon supply the explanation for the necklace that was frustrating the hell out of Inuyasha.

Kouga sat down for this. "I'm not sure who invented it. But at some point, some youkai couples decided it could be soooo neat to create this necklace that when placed on a pregnant female's body would mask certain scents."

Miroku glanced over at Inuyasha. "So, you don't know if you're having a boy or a girl."

"Yeah," Inuyasha dimly responded. He wasn't at all surprised that Miroku figured it out so quickly. He was an OB-GYN.

"I've seen many couples…eh…energetically discuss about whether or not they wish to know the sex of their offspring. The necklace does seem cruel for your kind, but, is it at all dangerous?"

"No," Kouga began, "because we can still feel the aura of our cub, but we only use our sense of smell to sniff out its gender. Ayame was given one for her first pregnancy. The surprise can be nice."

"I hate surprises," Inuyasha mumbled.

"So, other than the necklace, how is Kagome doing?"

"Fine. She's at five, almost six months now. She's taken maternal leave from work on doctor's orders because of everything, but she still insists on cooking at home, but, shit, her damn cravings cause her to make some fucked up food combinations."

"Like what?"

"Last night, steamed eel smothered in peanut butter."

"Sounds like she's eating healthy."

"Of course she is," Inuyasha answered his co-worker. "She knows better. She's more nervous about this than I am. I had to go to her friends and ask them to take her out once a week to keep her mind off the thing for at least an hour and get her to relax."

"Understandable given her history."

"Kagome deserves this child," Kouga firmly stated.

All the males nodded their heads.

Kouga raised his bottle. "To Kagome, the mutt, and their kid."

"Konpai!"

After sipping for their toast, Kouga asked, "Tonight's the baby shower, isn't it?"

Inuyasha snorted. "That's why Ayame asked me to take you out, dumbass."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Oh, that necklace is so beautiful."

"Thanks, but it's only to hide the scent of the pup's gender."

The girls all giggled. It was not only their usual get-together, but they had planned a baby shower for Kagome. They were at the Old Man's shop, knowing that it would be mostly private without have to pay a fortune out in reservations. And they knew that the food would be top notch.

The Old Man had been warned ahead of time and outdid himself for the mother of the one who would bear Inuyasha a pup, and in some odd way, for him a grandchild. He was already imagining the different culinary techniques he could pass down to this child.

"Inuyasha hates that thing, doesn't he?" Eri asked as she popped some sushi into her mouth.

Kagome giggled. "That doesn't even begin to describe his feelings on the manner. He tries to cheat by reaching for the necklace while I'm sleeping or when he's trying to seduce me." Another round of giggles erupted.

"Any names picked out?" Ayumi asked as she rubbed her swollen belly.

Kagome shook her head. "No. He's been more worried about making sure that I can make it to term, considering…" Kagome sighed. "He's also a bit overprotective, but it's cute and annoying all at the same time."

"Is it hard?" Yuka asked as she poured herself some sake.

"Yeah. You all know how scared I am. I wake up and rush into the bathroom to make sure it's still inside of me. And even then, I'm not convinced. I have Inuyasha check for me. You know, I was so distraught before…not being able to get pregnant at all, but…if anything were to happen now that I am…" Kagome shook her head. "I have to tell myself that everything is going to be fine. Everything is fine now. I have to enjoy this. Right?"

The girls all nodded.

"How about something we can be cheerful about: gifts."

Sango changed the subject hoping to not turn this into a depressing cryfest. They were here to celebrate Kagome's pregnancy, not to stoke her fears.

The presents were reflective of the person giving it. Ayame promised to decorate the nursery once the child was born and the gender was known. She had two plans already put together depending if she had a girl or a boy. Ayumi bought the child stock and would manage it until the child was of age. She was doing the same thing with her own and Ayame's children. Ayumi believed that children needed to have some financial investments, as well as an education and family.

Sango offered babysitting services, allowing Kagome and Inuyasha time to have some privacy and to relax. Yuka had thought about sending her husband over to clean and do laundry, but thought it was too cruel. Instead, she offered money. Her and Ayumi discussed ways to invest that money, as well. Yuka also promised that if Kagome and Inuyasha's children ever needed legal help, her services were free.

Everyone was skittish about what Eri would give. All were surprised by her set of books. They were about raising children as she knew youkai all had their way of raising their young. What she gave Kagome were favorite childhood bedtime stories from a variety of cultures in order to give her pup all the fuel it needed for its imagination. Other than sex, Eri also believed that people should be open-minded and accepting. Kagome's child was proof of that.

Laughter, food, and parenting tips were shared until Kagome couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. At that moment, Inuyasha arrived to take his wife and unborn pup safely home.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Inuyasha…"

"Mmmm…"

Kagome looked over at her husband as he slept. She wouldn't understand how a position like that – one leg hanging off the side and the blanket wrapped around the other, was remotely comfortable.

She pushed on him again. "Inuyasha," she said louder this time. When it was time to sleep, he slept like a log.

"Sleepin'…" he mumbled as he turned his face into the pillow.

"Inuyasha…I don't feel so good," his wife groaned out.

"That's because you ate sushi with Kami knows what vegetables in it and smothered it when wasabi and gravy."

Kagome shook him again. "No…my…Inu…cramps…"

"That's it. No more weird food combos."

Kagome took a tight hold on his arm, cutting blood supply as she rolled him around to look at her. "Contractions you baka!" she screamed at him.

"That's called Braxton Hicks. Drink some water."

She screamed out in frustration. Kagome placed her hand on her belly. As her stomach began to harden, she looked over at the clock and did her best to concentrate on the time. It hurt as she waited this out. Her stomach softened a bit and then she felt as it grew hard again.

"…seven minutes…" she whispered. What did Kaede and Miroku tell her to do? Breathe. She needed to start her breathing exercises. Relax. A bath. She could go and take a bath. It was easier to handle the pain, as well as her huge belly, in the water.

As Kagome stood up, she was hit in the pelvis with another contraction. Using the bed as support, she shuffled her feet across the floor as she headed to the bathroom. The best thing about Japanese baths, the tub was always filled at any given moment.

"Eww…" Kagome said as she felt warm liquid running down the insides of her legs, forming a large puddle at her bare feet. She groaned as she knew she wasn't going to be getting that bath.

Kagome turned and slid her feet back towards the bedroom. When she reached Inuyasha's side of the bed, she was wracked with another painful contraction that shot up her spine and down her legs.

"Ow," Inuyasha howled as he woke up to a very sharp tug of his forelocks. Opening his eyes, he found his overly pregnant wife hunched over, holding her stomach, her eyes clenched shut, her body shaking. He smelt something he only scented at the clinic.

"My water broke," she moaned out. The contractions were lasting longer, felt harder, and were closer together.

Inuyasha quickly shot out of bed and was dressed in no time at all. He helped change Kagome out of her wet pajamas and into a dress they had preplanned for her to wear. The hospital bag was already in the car waiting for them.

"Come on wench," he whispered lovingly to her as he helped her out of the Shrine. He didn't plan on carrying her, having her focus on walking would distract her from the contractions.

Inuyasha pulled out his cell phone and called Miroku. "Call Kaede. It's time."

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

"Do not push Kagome," Kaede instructed the soon-to-be mother as she checked all of the monitors.

"Just get it out of me," she whined as she fisted her hands into the blankets. She'd been here for too long and nothing was happening other than pain. Waves of intense pain from the contractions only to be followed by another strong contraction bombarded her fragile frame.

Inuyasha quietly entered the room with Miroku and a nurse trailing behind him. Kagome caught Inuyasha in her line of vision and narrowed her eyes at him. He was the one responsible for this pain.

"I hate you," she said, her voice low, dangerous, and surprisingly calm.

Inuyasha's ears drooped down. He wasn't surprised by it. He knew about it, seen other couples go through the same thing, but it hurt to hear it directed at him. With everyone else, it was funny.

Kaede moved into a position between Kagome's legs to check on the dilation of her cervix. "Nine centimeters, child. We are almost there."

Inuyasha stood next to Kagome, using his claws as a brush for her hair, helping her to relax. He didn't like seeing her in this kind of pain. Miroku handed Inuyasha a cup of water full of ice chips.

"Here," Inuyasha offered her an ice chip which she greedily accepted.

"You're still in deep shit, Inuyasha."

She cussed. At him. She never cussed at him.

Kagome let out a cry. She wanted to reach down and rip the thing out of her. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

"Kag-"

"Shut up. I don't want to hear it. I hate you. I hate men. I'm chopping your parts off with my knives after this."

Inuyasha gulped. Miroku chuckled. And then he stopped when he felt Kagome's death glare focused on him like a laser pointer.

"Maybe I'll just…" Miroku's voice trailed off as he moved to a safer location behind Kaede, the nurse, and a few of those machines.

Inuyasha continued to brush Kagome's damp hair as well as feed her ice chips as they waited for the one centimeter change.

Inuyasha soon found himself face to face with the most beautiful and enraged woman ever. She had grabbed a handful of his forelock, a favorite pastime of hers when she was angry.

"I'm going to New York."

He wanted to argue back so badly. The moment she arrived at the clinic, she was constantly challenging him and his authority. But a part of him knew this was just a huge influx of adrenaline and hormones coursing through her system.

The anger fell from her face. "I can't do this," she sobbed out as she started to cry. Inuyasha put his cup of ice chips down on the nearby table and used his free hand to cup her face, wiping away the tears of pain.

"You can," he whispered to her, offering as much encouragement to her as he was able to.

"Shut up," she said breathlessly.

Kaede inspected Kagome one more time. "10 centimeters." The elderly woman gave Inuyasha a nod.

"Come on wench, sit up. It's time."

"No," she half-snapped, half-cried at him as he repositioned the bed to put her up in a position that would make the birth easier on her. They had examined all of the birthing options and they liked this one the best. Gravity should help her out.

Kaede was ready, as was Miroku and the nurse.

"Okay Kagome, push."

Inuyasha held onto her hand and she gripped back as all her muscles tightened, focusing all of her strength and energy in that one push.

"Relax."

Kagome's body went limp as her head fell back into the crook of Inuyasha's shoulder. She took several deep breaths, but it was hard to completely relax as she felt the pressure down there building up again.

"Push again."

Kagome sat back up and once again, pushed. She tried to put even more energy into this singular act. Inuyasha planted dozen of kisses on her temple. He just didn't feel that encouraging words were all that encouraging.

"The head…relax…" Kaede said as she worked on cradling the infant's head.

"One more time, Kagome, and ye child will be born."

Inuyasha winced as Kagome squeezed his hand, his fingers tingling from the impeded circulation of blood. She screamed out as the last of her energy and strength went into this one final push. Then, she closed her eyes and fell back, limp and utterly exhausted.

Kaede caught the infant as it slipped out. She handed the child over to the nurse who had a small beige blanket ready. Miroku helped to clip the umbilical cord near the infant and at another point along its length.

"Want to do the honors?" Miroku asked as he held out the scissors to Inuyasha.

Inuyasha nodded. He gently laid Kagome back into the bed, brushing her bangs away from her flushed face. "I'll be right back."

In three steps, he was near his child, but it was covered with all kinds of smells, so he still couldn't scent his child's sex. Taking the scissors from Miroku, he clipped the cord. He then handed the scissors back to his friend so he could return to his wife's side.

"We'll get the kid cleaned up and do the APGAR and then it'll be yours."

Inuyasha knew all of this. It was standard clinic procedures for all births. He hurried back to Kagome's side, loving her and feeding her some more ice chips.

"Did you peek?" she asked, her voice hoarse from all of the screaming.

"Keh. No."

They both looked up at the sound of a high pitched wail. Their child had lungs and was using them for the first time. A smile fell across the faces of everyone in the room. The crying stopped as the child let out a sneeze.

"Overachiever," Miroku commented as they finished the test.

The child was wrapped up in the blanket. A tiny hospital bracelet was snapped around its tiny wrist. Miroku carried the infant over to its eagerly awaiting parents.

"Congratulations," he said. Then he offered the child to Kagome. "It's a boy."

Kagome took the child into her arms, laughing and crying. A boy. She'd given Inuyasha a son. The child, with its tuft of thick silver hair was obviously her husband's offspring.

"He's probably hungry."

"Out," Inuyasha barked at Miroku. Miroku chuckled as he hurried out of the room. He couldn't wait to tell the others the good news.

"We will return in a half hour to check on the afterbirth," Kaede said as she left with the nurse.

"Sit," Kagome instructed Inuyasha. There was more than enough room on the bed and she wanted them to share as many moments together as they could.

Kagome pulled down her hospital gown and her son latched on right away. "He's got your appetite," she teased as she watched her son eat.

Inuyasha smiled as he took in a deep inhale, soaking up all of the scents around him. He closed his eyes and found himself in Kagome's meadow. It was different. The flowers seemed to be more vibrant, making the scent deeper. She was there, with his son in her arms. She was a mother and carried the scent of one. And then there was his son. His unique scent would become more pronounced in the next few months as he grew.

His…son…The fantasy was now a reality. Their reality. He thought of his mother and his father, his brother, and everyone else in his life.

"Hey…" Kagome started, her voice soft, "what…what do you think his name should be?"

Inuyasha sighed. He hadn't told her that when he was alone in either one of his offices, he thought seriously about the right name for his child. He wasn't sure if he should pick something following family traditions or just pick something funky and modern.

Now that he was seeing his son in the flesh, cradled in the loving arms of his wife, the mother of that child, there was only one name that the child could be called. Only one was the most honorable choice.

"You know what to name him."

Kagome gasped. She turned to look at Inuyasha, to see what his eyes and not his words told her. "Are you sure?" She really didn't have to ask, the answer was already there.

Turning back to her son, who was still very hungry from his debut, happily ate, his eyes closed with the most peaceful look on his tiny face. Kagome brushing his silver hair and was a little surprised to find the tiniest hint of puppy ears hidden. He really was Inuyasha's son.

Inuyasha reached out to touch his pup's hand. His son grappled on tightly. Inuyasha gave it a tiny shake. Introductions were starting to be made.

"Hi Souta, I'm Kagome, your mother, and this is your father, Inuyasha.

**xxxxx-----xxx-----xxxxx**

**roshully's note: **_Katta_. I did it. And today is the last day of the year. Let's laugh and cry about it together.

I want to thank all of you, readers and reviewers, who found it in your little hearts to stick with this strange story.

I have some story notes that I need to explain. First, the wedding: In Japan, most couples opt for a Christian-like wedding that's done in Japanese but has English hymns sung. I of course did a more traditional Shinto wedding since that was a part of the story and one of the reasons why Kagome wouldn't marry Hojo. Shintoism is a religion of nature. That's why there are a lot of nature symbols embedded in the ceremony. Also, Japanese weddings are not about the couples, but, it's traditionally been about the joining of families since most of the time, the married couple went to live with the groom's family. I opted for Kagome not to wear the traditional wedding kimono.

_Tomobik_i is a day selected for very important events, such as weddings. It translates roughly as 'dragging friends along' and is a part of a series of six days called _rokuyou_. These days are used to predict fortune and there are used to make predictions about good days for weddings or funerals. _Tomobiki_ is a good day for a wedding because those that are single at the wedding may end of getting married. _Tomobiki_ is a bad day for a funeral because your friends may be dragged toward the deceased. Unless you know someone you don't like…_Taian_ is a very lucky day and is the best day for weddings. It is also the name of a fictional area in Tokyo based from another of Takahashi's works.

_Gagaku_ – A group of people who play native Japanese music. The kanji for this word translates into 'elegant music'.

_San-san-kudo_ – literally translates into three sets of three equal nine and it symbolizes the bond between the bride and groom. Once the bride and groom have completed the sipping of sake, then the families take a sip of sake, forming a union between the families as well.

_Sakai_ – a pine tree used in ceremonial acts.

Braxton-Hicks – false labor contractions. They can start as early as 6 weeks into the pregnancy, but most women don't feel them until late in the second or third trimester.

Kagome is not eating raw fish in her sushi.

I also one to point out something that I noticed in a lot of the reviews pertaining to Kagome's miko powers and that for some, it didn't quite make sense that her body would reject the egg and sperm. Well, it so happens that a lot of real women out there have this kind of defense mechanism in their bodies. It is known by a few common terms, a natural abortion or a miscarriage. A woman's body may reject the fetus for several reasons, some known and some that are speculated. The speculation is that either the fetus is too damaged to be able to survive and is aborted naturally by the body, or, that there is something wrong with the woman's body and that if the fetus were to grow to term, and that this would put both the mother and the fetus in danger, and thus, the woman will abort the child. Of course, mentally, a woman may not wish this, however, a woman's body is very strange like that. Women live longer than men, women would survive longer without water than a man, and women are capable of amazing feats of strength and endurance, especially when it comes to their children. Kagome's miko powers could easily be a manifestation of this natural awesomeness of a woman's biology. I hope that helps smooth that confusion out for some of you.

As for how…a woman doesn't share all of her secrets…

Thank you all again for reading and reviewing and being a part of this. Until next time…

"A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on"

Carl Sandburg.


End file.
